Addiction
by A1fictiongrl
Summary: I know this has probably been done before, but I wanted to write my own take on Reid's struggle with addiction after he was kidnapped by Tobias. I didn't like how little of his struggle they showed in the show so I decided to write it. Please read and review! I'd love to know what you think! Rated T for protection, contains drug use and possible murders in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Criminal Minds- Addiction

REID

Reid woke up in a cold sweat. He was jonesing and he needed a hit. Now.

The team at the BAU didn't know that he was having nightmares- or that he was using heroin.

They couldn't know. He could lose his job if they found out. That team, and his job, meant everything to him. They were his family.

He thought this even as he snorted the heroin he had left out on the bedside table. After the buzz had settled in, he went to take a shower.

He checked his reflection in the mirror before he left for work and saw no evidence of his sleepless night or of his drug use.

He hid a dose or two of heroin in a secret compartment of his shoulder bag and hoped that were no drug-sniffing dogs at the office today.

MORGAN

There was something wrong with Reid.

Morgan watched Reid walk in to the bullpen and sit down at his desk. He had dark circles under his eyes and he kept glancing around like he was hiding something.

Reid just hadn't been the same since he was kidnapped by Tobias Hinkle.

They had barely found Reid in time and it had taken him weeks to recover from the physical and emotional trauma.

Reid had finally seemed to recover,

…But he hadn't been the same. Morgan had kept a close eye on Reid in the months following the attack and something was off in his behavior.

Morgan couldn't put his finger on it..

"Hey Reid" he said as he walked over to his desk.

Reid jumped.

"He-hey Morgan" Reid stammered. "How's it going?"

"You doing okay, Reid?" asked Morgan, "You look like crap and you seem a little jumpy this morning".

"I'm fine, Morgan". "You look great too".

"I didn't mean it like that kid."

"I'm fine" Reid said, turning away.

"Reid- -"

"Hey guys, we got a case." J.J. interrupted. "Conference room in 5".

Reid got up, ending the conversation. Morgan watched him walk away, more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this. He was going to find out what was wrong with Reid if it was the last thing he did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note**: Okay guys, here is the next chapter. Thank you to Bonkers4Reid, Namira 0-0, The Grey Wolf Ghost for reviews and thank you to those that followed and favorited! All reviews and suggestions are appreciated.

**Disclaimer**: Forgot to add this in my first chapter (oops), I do not own Criminal Minds…oh and any mistakes I make are my own and I am not an expert in drug use, so please let me know if I make any mistakes in regards to that.

Chapter Two

REID

Reid got up from his desk and headed to the conference room. He was feeling shaky and already regretting snorting the heroin. He usually injected heroin because it was faster and he got high a lot quicker. But he had woken up that morning jonesing so hard that he couldn't think straight, so he had went for the closest thing and it was laying out right next to his bed so he hadn't had to go very far to get a hit.

Reid shook his head to clear it and sat down at the conference table.

Morgan sat down next to him not soon after.

Reid sighed. It looked like Morgan was going to be keeping a close eye on him for a while.

He'd have to be more discreet about his drug use. Oh well, he usually didn't use when he was at work anyways. Too much of a risk.

JJ walked into the room, followed by Hotch and the rest of the team.

"Okay guys. Our next case is a pretty brutal one, even by our standards."

JJ went on. "Three men have gone missing in Atlanta. They were each found dead exactly one week after they were reported missing. These are the dump sites."

She brought up the pictures on the TV screen and turned away.

"Umm..th-the bodies had been cut from neck to waist and.."

"The organs were missing?" Hotch finished for her.

"Wait, all of them?" asked Prentiss.

MORGAN

The team continued on discussing the case, but Morgan kept getting distracted by Reid. Reid could not sit still and he looked almost sick.

Reid caught him looking at him and gave him a dirty look.

Morgan looked away and tried to focus on the presentation, just in time to hear Hotch say "Wheels up in 30".

Everyone headed out of the conference room. Reid was about to leave, but Morgan grabbed his arm.

"Ow, Morgan!"

"Sorry, I had to catch you before you left." "We aren't finished with our conversation."

"Oh yes we are" said Reid.

"C'mon Spencer. Talk to me. I'm your best friend. I care about you."

"I know." Reid said in a softer tone. Morgan never used his first name.

For one second Reid considered telling Morgan everything.

One second and then reality crashed in and Reid remembered what was at stake.

Morgan saw Reid about to open up, and then just as quickly he closed off.

"We have to go" Reid said abruptly, leaving the room.

Morgan was left standing there, staring after him.

**Okay guys, let me know what you think! I'll be posting the next chapter pretty quickly and I've got an idea for a Morgan-based fic as well :-) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Once again, (and it pains me to do this) Criminal Minds is not mine, it belongs to CBS *sigh. **

**Thanks again to those that reviewed, favorite and followed my story. This chapter is a little longer, based on a suggestion from a certain reader :-) **

**All mistakes are my own, blah blah blah yada yada.**

Chapter 3

MORGAN

Morgan got to the jet in record time. Looking at his watch, he saw that he had 15 minutes to spare.

When he boarded the plane he saw that he wasn't the first one there.

As usual, Hotch was already on the plane, looking at a case file; probably the one for which they were headed to Atlanta.

Morgan sat down across from Hotch and was about to put on his headphones when Hotch looked up at him.

"What is going on with you and Reid?"

Morgan should've known Hotch would notice. The guy wasn't a profiler for nothing.

"Nothing is going on."

"C'mon Morgan. You didn't really think that something as big as that would escape my attention, did you?" "Something like that could jeopardize this team, Morgan. We can't afford a rift like that."

"I realize that, Hotch. Everything's fine. Just a little disagreement."

"What are you not telling me, Morgan?"

Lucky for Morgan, the rest of the team arrived before he could respond.

REID

Reid stepped onto the plane, having timed it just right so that he arrived with the bulk of the team.

He did not want to be cornered by Morgan again.

As he went to grab a seat, he noticed Hotch eyeing him and Morgan. Reid knew that look. It was the one that said he knew there was something going on and he would get to the bottom of it if it was the last thing he did.

Reid sighed. He really didn't need this right now.

He settled into a seat near the back of the plane and wished he had brought headphones.

Morgan headed towards him.

"You're like a fly, buzzing around me, getting in my face." "I wish I had a fly swatter." Reid said as soon as Morgan sat down across from him.

Morgan looked startled and then burst out laughing.

MORGAN

Did Reid just make a joke? –Morgan thought.

He couldn't help from laughing. Reid even cracked a little bit of a smile.

"Well, well, well, Dr. Reid. You have a sense of humor after all" Morgan said, still chuckling.

"I have my moments" said Reid.

"Look kid, I know we're not exactly on good terms right now…" Morgan began.

"…but Hotch suspects something and we need to act like we're getting along" Reid finished for him.

"Yeah" said Morgan. "He's sniffing around and he knows I'm not telling him everything".

"You TOLD him?" Reid said, his voice starting to rise.

Morgan cut him off quickly. "Keep your voice down. If you would let me finish, I'll tell you what happened." He said in a soft tone, trying to keep from drawing the others' attention.

"Hotch was here when I got on the plane. He said he knew something was going on, I said we just had a disagreement. He said that I wasn't telling him everything." "That's it."

Morgan paused. "I didn't tell him anything because I don't really know anything."

Before Reid could respond, Morgan cut him off again saying "Look. I didn't tell him anything mostly because if Hotch even had an inkling that you were incapable of doing your job, he would pull you out of the field and possibly off the job and I know how much the BAU means to you and what it would do to you if you couldn't do your job anymore and.."

"Derek."

Morgan stopped at the sound of his first name.

"Thank you." "I'm sorry I overreacted." Reid said in a quiet voice.

REID

Wow. Morgan really did care. He doesn't want me to lose my job either. Maybe…-Reid thought. Maybe I can trust him.

"Maybe we could stop with the serious talk and just be friends right now?" Reid said, after apologizing for overreacting.

"Yeah, we could do that." "I really don't mean to put you on the defensive" Morgan said. "I care about you, and I…I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Nothing will happen if you keep buzzing around" Reid joked, causing Morgan to grin.

"You're getting good" said Morgan. "Maybe you should switch occupations and become a comedian".

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Reid responded.

Morgan chuckled again. "Maybe not."

"Yeah, I think I'll stick to profiling" Reid said.

"Have you two made up now?" asked Hotch.

Reid and Morgan looked around and noticed that the whole team was watching them.

"Maybe we can go over the case now?" Hotch said.

"Yes, sorry Hotch" Reid responded. "Sorry, go ahead" said Morgan.

"Okay guys, when we land I want Reid and Morgan to head to the Atlanta P.D. and start working on victimology and a geographical profile, I'll be going there as well to meet with the lead detective. Rossi and Prentiss will go to the latest crime scene, and J.J. I need you handling the press. They've already tagged this guy as "The Surgeon".

"Oh yeah, we need to squash that ASAP" J.J. said.

The team continued discussing the case, but all Reid could think was-

I got my best friend back.

**Okay guys, let me know what you think. This chapter was a little longer than the others. If you guys like longer chapters, let me know and I'll try to start doing that. Also, just to let you guys know, the only relationship between Morgan and Reid will be a brotherly/friendly relationship, no Slash. I have nothing against Slash, but I just don't see Reid and Morgan going that way in my stories. Please review/ PM me! Thanks and I'll try to post another chapter this weekend.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay guys, here is my SECOND attempt at chapter 4. I was not happy with my first attempt, and judging from your reviews, you guys weren't either. I appreciate all of the support, honesty, and constructive criticism. **

**I do not own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Here goes nothing, hope you like it!**

Chapter 4 

When the team arrived at the Atlanta Police Department, they were greeted by a man that looked like he hadn't slept in a few days.

"You must be the FBI" he said.

"What gave us away?" Hotch asked.

"Detective Clay Thompson."

"Agent Hotchner" Hotch said, shaking the man's hand.

Hotch introduced the rest of the team and then got right down to business.

"Any tangible leads on the killer?" he asked.

"None."

"Alright, let's get to work."

"The conference room is all set up for you guys." Agent Thompson said.

Reid and the rest of the team followed Hotch to the room and got right down to work; Prentiss and Rossi heading to the latest crime scene and the rest of the team staying at the precinct.

**Five Hours Later**

"Hotch, I think we got something" Morgan called out.

Hotch came over from Detective Thompson's desk. "What've you got?"

Morgan and Reid had been hard at work trying to find a connection between the three victims.

"We might have found a common factor." Morgan said.

"According to family members, all 3 victims recently received organ transplants."

"At the same hospital" Reid said.

"Wait a minute. We went and looked at all 3 dumpsites and they were all near one hospital…" Prentiss said, entering the room with Rossi.

"Let me guess. Northside Hospital?" Morgan said.

"You got it" Rossi replied.

"So all three victims not only received transplants at Northside Hospital, but their bodies were also dumped near the hospital" Hotch said matter-of-factly.

"Morgan and I found another connection as well" Reid said.

"We talked to the family members of the victims and it turns out that all three victims had to have transplants because they had been addicted to some type of substance" Morgan added, trying not to look at Reid.

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked.

"Vi-victim #1 had an alcohol addiction and had to have a liver transplant, victim #2 was addicted to cocaine and had to have a heart transplant, and victim #3 had to have a kidney transplant due to…" Reid trailed off.

"Due to heroin abuse" Morgan said.

"So Northside Hospital is our connection" Hotch said.

"We need to narrow it down. That's a lot of suspects…"

"Hey Hotch?" J.J. interrupted, poking her head in the door.

"What is it J.J.?" Hotch asked.

"We got a call on the tip line we set up. I think you're going to want to hear this."

"Garcia" she said into the phone she was holding, "I've got you on speaker. Can you play the message?"

"Here goes my loves. The message came in about an hour ago." Garcia said.

Woman's voice- "_He-hello?Is-is anyone there? I think my husband is the Surgeon. He's gone all the time, he was gone on business trips when those men went missing and were killed. He's been acting very strange lately. He's a trauma surgeon at Northside Hospital. Hi-his name is John Matthews. -He's home, I have to go." _

Then the line went dead.

"That's all she said. There's nothing else."

"Thanks babygirl." Morgan said before J.J. hung up the phone.

"Okay, let's find out everything there is to know about John Matthews." Hotch said.

Morgan wasn't paying attention to Hotch though. He was watching a very pale Reid.

Reid looked like he was sick, he looked like…like…

Everything suddenly fell into place. Reid kept coming in looking like he hadn't slept for a week, fidgeting, and being argumentative. He was edgy and nervous, and he couldn't talk straight when they were telling Hotch about the victims' addictions…

ADDICTION.

The realization hit Morgan like a ton of bricks and he had to struggle to keep a straight face.

Reid was addicted to something, and it could only be one thing.

Heroin.

**All reviews and PMs are appreciated. Let me know what you think (*cringes)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. SO SO SO SORRY about the late post. I've been really busy… Okay, okay! No excuses. **

**Okay, once again I do not own Criminal Minds, and all mistakes are my own. Also, to all of you who read the first version of chapter 4, I posted a revised version of it that makes more sense. I hope this chapter is a lot better :-)**

Chapter 5

MORGAN

Dilaudid.

Reid was addicted to pharmacy heroin.

Wait…Don't get ahead of yourself—Morgan thought.

Don't jump to conclusions.

Morgan decided to confront Reid as soon as the case was over.

He tuned back into the current conversation in time to hear Hotch telling Detective Thompson to put surveillance on their suspect, John Matthews.

"If he is our guy, we don't want him abducting someone else while we're gathering evidence against him." Hotch added.

The team got to work and had only been at it an hour when an officer came in and told them that the surveillance team saw John Matthews leave his house with a suitcase.

They were following him now.

REID

Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss headed out to John Matthews' current location and Morgan and Reid stayed behind to continue gathering evidence. J.J. stayed behind as well, to coordinate with the local police.

Reid was surprised that Morgan hadn't jumped at the chance to go after an unsub.

He had actually volunteered to stay behind.

Morgan never volunteered for anything; except to volunteer to hit an unsub or kick down a door.

Maybe he… no. There was no way he could know. Reid had been very careful at hiding his addiction.

Or so he thought.

MORGAN

When Hotch had asked who wanted to stay behind to finish gathering evidence, Morgan hadn't hesitated.

"I'll stay behind" he told Hotch.

Reid, looking a little shocked, volunteered to stay behind as well. That wasn't a surprise to Morgan. He knew Reid would stay behind, which is why he volunteered.

Now that Morgan suspected Reid's addiction, he wasn't letting him out of his sight.

Two hours later, Morgan and Reid had compiled enough evidence to arrest and convict John Matthews. One of the key things they found was a storage unit in Matthew's name. They called a judge and got a warrant for it. Morgan called Hotch and gave him the address.

"Hotch, the address for the storage unit is 1820 Marietta…"

Hotch cut him off, "Marietta Boulevard?"

"Yeah, how did you…" Morgan began.

"We're on Marietta Boulevard" Hotch said, "That must be where Matthews is headed."

John Matthews pulled into the storage center and headed for his storage unit. The team hung back. When Matthews didn't come back out after a few minutes, the team moved in.

When they burst in, Matthews was about to cut open another victim with a scalpel.

Hotch shouted at him to put down the scalpel and Matthews complied, allowing Rossi to cuff him without a struggle.

The victim survived and was taken to Northside Hospital which, ironically enough, was where the unsub worked. It was the closest hospital, after all.

After saying goodbye to Detective Thompson, the team boarded the jet and headed home.

"So, what was it that set Matthews off?" Morgan asked Hotch. "Why did he decide to start killing people?"

"He found out that he has a dysfunctional liver about 3 weeks ago." "He needed a liver transplant."

"I guess he thought these people didn't deserve their new organs" Rossi added.

"So he cut them out" Prentiss said.

Reid paled slightly and excused himself. He got up and went to the kitchen at the other end of the plane.

Morgan watched him shakily pour himself some coffee.

Seeing an opportunity to talk, Morgan got up and walked over.

"Reid?" he began.

Reid looked up at Morgan and he could see the question written all over his face.

_He knows_- Reid thought.

Reid sighed resignedly and stopped Morgan with two words.

"It's true."

**As always, all reviews and PMs are appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Guys! So, I feel like I haven't posted in forever, I started a new job so I can't really write as much. This chapter is short, but I'll try to post the next one soon and I promise that the next one will be longer. **

**As always, all rights to Criminal Minds belong to CBS and all mistakes are my own.**

Chapter 6

REID

Morgan looked shocked, and then he just looked sad and… disappointed.

Reid hated letting Morgan down.

He wanted Morgan to be proud of him.

MORGAN

He couldn't believe it. And he couldn't keep the shock and the hurt from showing on his face.

It was one thing to suspect Reid of using; it was another to find out that he actually was.

He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. Until he saw Reid's face.

He looked so hurt.

That was enough to bring Morgan back to reality. This was Reid. The man he thought of as a brother!

He had to help him.

With that decision made, his resolve returned.

"We can't talk about this here, but how about we go get some coffee when we get back to Quantico and we can talk then?"

Reid nodded and went to turn away.

"Hey," Morgan said, getting Reid's attention.

"I'm not giving up on you. We'll get through this together."

"…and thanks," he added.

"For what?" Reid asked, confused.

"For telling me the truth," Morgan said.

Reid flashed a genuine smile.

Morgan hadn't seen that smile since before Reid was kidnapped.

It was nice to see it back, even if it was only for a moment.

"We'll talk later" Morgan said, clapping Reid on the shoulder, aware that Hotch and Rossi were watching their every move.

"We have eyes on us" Morgan whispered.

Reid's eyes flickered over to Hotch and Rossi and then back to Morgan; they held the slightest hint of fear.

Morgan reassured Reid. "Don't worry; I haven't breathed a word to them about this."

"I haven't said anything, and I don't plan to. My lips are sealed."

Reid nodded, whispered his thanks and then moved to his seat.

Morgan moved off to his seat as well.

"What was that about?" Rossi asked quietly as Morgan sat down.

"Just making conversation" Morgan said.

Glancing over at Reid, he saw that the young doctor had fallen asleep in his seat.

Morgan smiled, and turning back to Rossi, said, "I was just talking to a friend."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, it's a little long, but I don't think I'll get complaints :-)**

**Once again, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own.**

Chapter 7

REID

The plane landed with a jolt, startling Reid awake.

He was glad he had slept. It kept his mind off the drugs and off this upcoming meeting with Morgan.

He was nervous, no doubt about it.

Two SUVs were waiting on the tarmac when the team got off the plane.

They rode back to FBI headquarters in comfortable silence, everyone too tired to talk.

When they arrived, the team headed into building; but Morgan and Reid hung back.

"Ready to grab that coffee?" Morgan asked.

Reid nodded and Morgan led the way to his car.

"Is Starbucks okay?" Morgan asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"Yeah" Reid asked.

They were silent the rest of the drive; Reid because he was too nervous to talk, and Morgan because he was thinking of what to say to Reid once they got to Starbucks.

The drive was over all too soon.

MORGAN

Once inside, both men placed their orders and sat down.

After they had gotten their drinks, Reid broke the silence.

"So what do you want to know?" he asked.

A little startled at Reid's directness, Morgan asked, "You're addicted to Dilaudid, right?"

After a small nod from Reid, Morgan asked, "How long have you been…"

"Addicted?" Reid finished for him, "I have been since Tobias Hinkel gave me my first hit."

"You've been addicted for 6 months?!" Morgan hissed.

"You should have said something..You..I.." Morgan trailed off.

"Dammit, I knew something was off."

-*FLASHBACK*-

The team raced to the cemetery, having deciphered the clues Reid gave them.

"We have to prepare ourselves…" Hotch began.

"No. He's alive, he has to be." Morgan stated forcefully.

Pulling up to the entrance of the cemetery, the team got out quietly.

Moving quickly toward the main building, they were about to enter when they heard voices coming from the back.

"Dig boy!" said a deep voice.

"I can't, I'm not strong enough."

At the sound of Reid's voice the team breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The team proceeded around the building, breaking into a run when they heard a gunshot.

When they got to Reid and the unsub, Reid was slowly trying to get to his feet.

Having reached them first, Morgan checked to make sure Tobias was dead and then grabbed Reid in a bear hug.

"Are you alright?" he asked Reid, letting go of him so the others could hug him as well.

"I knew you guys would figure it out," Reid said to Hotch, deliberately not answering Morgan's question.

"Well, you did most of the work" Hotch said, grinning.

"C'mon let's get you to a hospital" J.J. said, concerned.

"Give me a minute?" Reid asked, his voice wavering.

"Sure" said Rossi, "take your time."

"We'll wait in the car" Hotch said.

He glanced at Reid one more time before heading back to the SUVs.

The whole team followed, including Morgan. However, Morgan stopped just far enough to where he gave Reid privacy but was still able to keep an eye on him.

He couldn't bear leaving him again especially because he couldn't help thinking that Tobias was going to somehow wake up and kill Reid.

Even though he knew that Tobias was dead, and his fear was irrational, he still wanted to keep Reid in his sight.

As Morgan watched, he saw Reid get down on his knees in front of Tobias.

_What was he doing?_

REID

Reid bent down in front of Tobias and whispered "I'm sorry".

Tobias had in a way saved his life. He had brought him back to life when Reid had hit his head and stopped breathing.

In some way, Reid identified with him.

Before getting up to leave, he looked around.

When he saw that no one was looking, he started digging through Tobias's pockets.

_Come on, Come ON! I know he had them._

He found them in Tobias's left pocket- two vials of Dilaudid.

_Jackpot_- he thought, stuffing them into his pocket.

Satisfied, he got up slowly and limped towards the car.

As he got to the side of the main building, he saw Morgan standing there.

"Hey" he said.

"Need some help?" Morgan asked.

"Yes please. I think my ankle is sprained" Reid said.

Putting Reid's arm over his shoulder, he helped him towards the closest SUV.

-*PRESENT*-

"Wait, you saw me? Why didn't you say something?" Reid asked.

"All I saw was you leaning over Tobias. So you had that Dilaudid on you the entire time?" Morgan asked.

"Yes." Reid said.

"That explains why you didn't want to go to the hospital." Morgan said.

"Yeah, I didn't want anyone to see the track mark where Tobias had injected the heroin" Reid said softly.

-*FLASHBACK*-

"No," Reid said.

"I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Reid, you pretty much died." "Tobias had to give you CPR," Morgan said.

"I'm fine" Reid said, frowning.

"Reid, you're at least going to get checked out. You don't have to stay if you don't want, but you are going to see a doctor or you are not flying back home with us" Hotch said definitively.

His tone of voice said that the discussion was over. Reid was going to the hospital and that was that.

AT THE HOSPITAL…

"You have a concussion, a pretty bad one," the Doctor said, "Your ankle is just sprained; so you'll need to keep off it for a couple of days. Other than "I want to keep an eye on that concussion\n, so I'm recommending you stay here overnight."

"No" Reid said.

"Dr. Reid…" she began.

"Am I cleared to fly?" Reid asked impatiently.

"Excuse me?" the Doctor asked.

"Can I get on an airplane?!" he asked, raising his voice.

"Ye-yes," the Doctor stammered, "as long as you have someone to watch you on the flight."

Reid looked to Hotch, who had come into the room when Reid raised his voice.

"She said I'm cleared to fly." "That good enough for you?"

"Yes" Hotch said.

"Can we go now?" Reid asked.

Hotch looked at the doctor, who nodded her head once, then nodded at Reid.

Getting up, Reid grabbed his stuff and limped out of the room, pausing only briefly to apologize to the Doctor.

As Hotch went to leave the room, the Doctor grabbed his arm.

"He refused a full body examination," she said, "He would only let me examine his injured ankle and his head."

"Thank you, doctor" Hotch said before leaving the room.

-*PRESENT DAY*-

"In the days after, everything seemed to get back to normal so I just dismissed what I had seen" Morgan said.

"I'm so sorry."

"Morgan, it wasn't entirely your fault" Reid said.

Rolling up his sleeves, he showed Morgan the track marks.

"There are more than you can see" Reid said.

"I could've gotten help but I didn't want it" he said.

"Why did you decide to tell me the truth?" Morgan asked, "Why now?"

**Ok guys, that's the end of chapter 7. I'll be posting chapter 8 almost immediately. Originally, it was all one chapter, but it was too long, so I split it up. **

**Enjoy! As always, reviews and PMs are appreciated! Later! :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is chapter 8, as promised. **

**I don't own Criminal Minds, and all mistakes are my own.**

Chapter 8

"_Why did you decide to tell me the truth?" Morgan asked, "Why now?"_

"I'm tired, Morgan." "Tired of lying to people, and I'm tired of hiding things from you" Reid said, his voice breaking.

"I'm glad" Morgan said.

"I need your help, Morgan," Reid said, "I can't do this by myself."

-*FLASHBACK*-

Reid walked into his apartment and breathed a sigh of relief.

The plane ride back had been pure hell.

His head and ankle were aching and all he could think about was the Dilaudid that was now stowed in his messenger bag.

Luckily he had thought to grab clean needles from the hospital.

Sitting down, he took off his tie and, rolling up his sleeve, he tied it around his upper forearm. Taking out one of the needles from his bag, he withdrew the liquid heroin out of the bottle and injected it into his vein.

Immediately, the pain went away and Reid relaxed.

-*PRESENT*-

"Don't worry, I'll be there every step of the way" Morgan said, reassuringly.

"Well, you're about to get thrown into the deep end" Reid said.

"Why do you say that?" Morgan asked.

Looking closer at Reid, he asked, "When was the last time you got high?"

"Too long" Reid said, trembling a little, "This morning, about 6 a.m."

"I've been craving for the past couple of hours."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Morgan asked.

"I didn't want to worry you" Reid said, almost whispering.

"Morgan," Reid began hesitantly, "I- I have some in my bag."

"Give it to me" Morgan said.

Reid showed him where they were stored and Morgan took them out, put them in his pocket, and went into the men's restroom.

He came back out a minute later.

"They're gone," he said, "and we're going to go back to your apartment and get rid of any more that you have."

"Okay" Reid said.

Ready or not, this was happening, and all Reid could do was get up and follow Morgan out the door of the coffee shop, hoping that he would survive it.

**Well, there it is! I hope you liked it! Enjoy, and until next time! **

**PMs and reviews are appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while. If you haven't figured it out already, I'm pretty sporadic with my chapter posts. I try to get one posted every 2 weeks or so, but it doesn't always happen.**

**I don't own Criminal Minds, and all mistakes are my own. I looked up the side effects of heroin withdrawal for this chapter on the internet, so if the facts aren't right I'm sorry.**

Chapter 9

REID

"Here we are" Reid said, opening his apartment door.

Reid's apartment was pretty sparse. His living room only contained a couch, small TV and bookshelf. The kitchen contained only the basics, with a small bar and barstool serving as a kitchen table.

The bookshelf was what caught Morgan's eye. It was overflowing with books that were mostly first editions and foreign titles.

_Just like Reid_- Morgan thought, looking around.

"Nice" was the only comment Morgan said out loud.

"Want a tour?" Reid asked hopefully.

"Only if the tour includes you showing me where you stashed the Dilaudid" Morgan said, getting right down to business.

"Do we have to do this now?" Reid asked, trying to stall.

Morgan silenced him with one look.

"Okay" Reid said, taking a deep breath, "I guess we can start with the kitchen."

"I'm just going to point them out to you because I don't want to…" Reid trailed off.

"Reid, I get it. Where's the first one?" Morgan asked.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Reid pointed to the cupboard.

"It's in the blue coffee cup."

Morgan found the vial and dumped it in the sink, rinsing the contents down the drain.

On and on it went, with Reid pointing out the vials in every room and Morgan getting rid of them. Morgan even threw out the empty vials and syringes Reid had left.

As each vial was emptied, Reid grew more anxious. More than anything he wanted to take one of the vials from Morgan and shoot up right there, but he didn't want to disappoint him.

…_and there was still one more vial that Morgan didn't know about._

Reid figured that once Morgan was satisfied that he had gotten everything he would leave and Reid could go get that vial…

"Are there any more vials?" Morgan asked, interrupting Reid's reverie.

"Huh?" Reid asked.

_SHIT._

"No" Reid said, trying to sound sure of himself.

Morgan saw right through him. "Reid."

"There's no more, I swear."

"Reid. Where is it?" Morgan asked calmly.

"NO! There's no more, you took everything!" Reid shouted, losing it.

"Where. Is. It?" Morgan asked again. He wasn't going to stop asking until Reid gave it up.

"I don't know what you're…" Reid trailed off when Morgan just looked at him.

"Fine," Reid sighed, "…it's taped under my bedside table."

While Morgan retrieved the last vial, Reid walked over to the couch and slowly sank down into the cushions.

Morgan walked back into the room and stood in front of Reid.

"Okay, kid. We can do this one of two ways. You can go cold turkey, without pain meds to treat your withdrawal symptoms or you can check yourself into rehab for an extended amount of time and have help with your withdrawal symptoms, but you would have to explain to Hotch why you would be gone for so long."

"No," Reid said immediately, "Hotch can't know."

"I'll stay with you. I'll help you through it," Morgan said, "but there's no going halfway, this is it. This is your last chance. If you don't want to go through with it say so now, but know that if you don't do this I will have no choice but to go to Hotch."

"No, I want to do this" Reid said, "I have to do this."

MORGAN

Morgan joined Reid on the couch and patted him on the shoulder. "Good choice, kid."

He grabbed the remote and turned on the television, flipping channels until he found a basketball game that was on.

"What are you doing?" Reid asked.

"What? We might as well watch the game, it's not like we have anything better to do."

They both settled down to wait.

As Morgan watched the game, he could see in his peripheral that Reid was beginning to experience withdrawal symptoms. He was sweating and visibly shaking.

He wasn't saying anything, but Morgan knew he had to be experiencing discomfort.

The worst was yet to come.

**Duh duh duh…Uh oh, Reid's already experience withdrawal and it's only just begun. I'll be posting the next chapter pretty much right after this one, so stay tuned! Please review or PM me, they are always appreciated, and thanks to those who have reviewed, favorited and followed the story so far :-)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay guys, here's the next chapter. Like I said in my last post, I looked up withdrawal symptoms for heroin on the internet, so if I got it wrong, sorry! **

**All mistakes are my own, and I don't own Criminal Minds. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

REID

After the game ended, Reid made up a bed on the couch for Morgan and went to his room to try to get as much sleep as possible before the withdrawal symptoms got so bad that he couldn't sleep.

He knew how bad it was going to get in the coming days.

When he had first started using, he had researched heroin. The information unwillingly popped up in his mind as if it was written on his bedroom wall in big block letters.

HEROIN WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS:

NAUSEA

VOMITING

DIARRHEA

MUSCLE PAIN

COLD SWEATS

TREMORS

LOSS OF APPETITE

CRAVINGS

_Good grief._ –Reid thought. He even saw them listed as bullet points.

The worst part was that Reid had discovered that withdrawal from heroin could last up to 10 days and symptoms would not peak until the 48 to 72 hour mark.

He was in for a long and tough road ahead.

Reid sighed and laid down on his bed, not even bothering to change into pajamas.

_5 A.M: 23 hours clean_

The first thing Reid thought when he woke up was _EARTHQUAKE_. The entire bed felt like it was shaking.

He was about to call out to Morgan when he realized HE was the one shaking…and sweating, and CRAVING.

He groaned. He wanted a hit so bad he could taste it.

Glancing around the room, his eyes landed on the calendar. Today was Friday. _FRIDAY._

_What was he going to do about work?!_

MORGAN

Morgan woke when he heard Reid groan. He got up off the couch and walked to Reid's room.

"Reid?" Hearing no answer, he knocked on the door.

"Reid, can I come in?"

Reid opened the door and the first words out of his mouth were, "Morgan, today's Friday, what are we going to do about work? What are we supposed to tell Hotch?" "I can't go to work like this!"

Morgan took in the frantic look on Reid's face and stopped him.

"Reid. Calm down. I have it all figured out. I will call Hotch and ask him for emergency leave and I will tell him that you're sick."

"Shouldn't I tell him?" Reid asked.

"Reid, be honest. In the state you're in, do you really think you're going to be able to keep from telling him the truth?"

Reid thought about that for a minute. "You're right. I wouldn't be able to keep from telling him."

Looking at his watch, Morgan noted that it was 6 a.m. "Hotch'll be up by now. I'm going to go ahead and call him."

Morgan headed back into the living room and grabbed his phone off the coffee table.

Taking a breath, he dialed Hotch's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Hotch, it's Morgan."

"Morgan is something wrong? You've never called me this early before."

"Hotch, I know this is a little last minute, but I need to go on emergency leave."

"Is everything okay?"

"Family emergency. I need to take at least a week, maybe more."

"Okay. Anything else you need to tell me?"

"Yeah. Reid is sick. We went for coffee last night and he told me that he wasn't feeling well and this morning I called to check on him and he said he wasn't going to be able to make it in today. He sounded pretty bad."

"Alright. I'll push those through" Hotch said after a minute.

Morgan was about to hang up when Hotch said "Keep me posted."

Morgan agreed and they said goodbye. Morgan was glad Hotch had agreed to his request, but somehow Morgan knew that Hotch knew more than he was letting on.

When Morgan put the phone down he noticed Reid standing in the hallway.

"You might get a call from Hotch checking to see if you really are sick. He sounded a little suspicious."

"Okay."

"You feeling alright, Reid?"

"I'm okay."

"No you're not, I can tell."

Reid leaned his head on the wall. "To tell the truth, I feel pretty bad."

"C'mon let's try to get some food in your system" Morgan said.

"I'm not really hungry" Reid said. Seeing the look on Morgan's face, he added, "but some dry toast might be good."

Walking over to him, Morgan put a hand on Reid's back and nudged him toward the kitchen.

"You may have to do with burned toast. I am not that good of a cook."

Waiting a beat, he added, "It's my only flaw."

Reid grinned slightly and said, "You forgot narcissism."

That set Morgan off and he started laughing, which set Reid off.

They laughed all the way to the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Thanks to those who reviewed, followed and favorite! Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

_8 a.m.-26 hours clean_

REID

Reid sat at the table, nibbling at toast that was only slightly burnt, while Morgan stood at the stove, cooking a more substantial breakfast for himself.

"You know, you actually have to bite and swallow for it to reach your stomach, right?"

"Ha ha, Morgan. Very funny." Reid was not amused at all. He was nauseous and did not feel like eating. Couple that with the other symptoms and it did not make a very happy Reid.

Reid sighed and took a bite of the toast. It actually didn't taste too bad.

Reid finished the toast and drank the orange juice that Morgan had given him.

Muttering his thanks, he got up and went over to his bookshelf. He stood there for a moment, browsing the titles, until he came across one of his favorites, a book of medieval poetry, written in French.

He settled on the couch to read it, but didn't get far before his phone rang.

Looking at the display, he panicked. It was Hotch.

He took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"He- hello?"

"_Reid. Morgan called me this morning and told me you weren't feeling well."_

As Hotch was talking, Reid had a sharp pain in his stomach and couldn't help but groan.

"_Reid, are you alright_?"

"Yeah, Hotch I'm…" Reid didn't get to finish his sentence because all of a sudden he knew he was going to throw up.

He dropped the phone on the couch and ran for the bathroom.

"_Reid. Reid?"_

MORGAN

Morgan sat down to eat as he watched Reid walk over to the bookshelf, grab a book, and sit down on the couch.

Morgan chuckled. Even when Reid was in a mood, he still sat down so proper.

Morgan stopped laughing when Reid answered his phone. By the way Reid paled when he saw who it was; Morgan had to assume that it was Hotch. He knew Hotch would call, he just didn't know it would be so soon.

He went back to eating, keeping one ear on the conversation.

He stopped when he heard Reid groan. Then he saw Reid jump up and run to the bathroom.

_Uh oh_—Morgan thought.

He could still hear Hotch calling Reid's name over the phone and was about to go over and pick up the phone, when Reid came out of the bathroom.

He nodded at Morgan and grabbed the phone.

"Hotch, I'm here." Man, he really did sound awful.

"_Reid, what happened? Are you okay?"_

"I'm not feeling well at all."

"_Get some rest, okay Reid? Take all the time you need." "I hope you feel better soon."_

"Thanks Hotch." Reid said, and hung up the phone.

Morgan immediately went over to Reid.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm great. Just fantastic" Reid forced out, clearly in pain.

"Do you need some ibuprofen?"

"I don't think it will do any good."

"What do you need, Reid?"

Reid grimaced. "What I need you can't give me."

With that he got up and went down the hall, muttering something that sounded like "I'm going to lie down".

Morgan sighed and went back to his breakfast.

REID

Reid went into his bedroom and shut the door. Then he promptly lay face down on his bed. He closed his eyes and tried to get some more sleep, but it wasn't happening.

He got up and started to pace, sat down, lie down; repeat.

He realized he was shaking and he felt like the walls were closing in on him. He was cold, but he was sweating.

How was he supposed to get through 9 more days of this?

He looked at his watch. It had only been an hour?

Reid couldn't stay in his room any longer. He went back into the living room.

Morgan was in the kitchen washing dishes. Reid stopped.

_Morgan was washing dishes?_

Morgan noticed him and looked almost embarrassed. Reid snorted and went over to his DVD collection. Reid grabbed a random season of Dr. Who and put one of the DVDs in the DVD player and turned on the TV.

He sat down and tuned into the show.

When Morgan was done with the dishes he sat down at the other end of the couch.

"How're you feeling?" he asked Reid. Reid's only response was to grunt. _Grunt._

So this was how it was going to be.

**So. This chapter was hard to write. I feel like it started out great and then went to so-so towards the end. Please let me know what you think! Review please please please. What I may do is time jump to about the 48 hour mark or so. If anyone has ideas, please share! :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**First off, thank you guys SO MUCH for your reviews! I appreciate you guys so much!**

**I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

The next several hours passed by slowly.

Both Morgan and Reid watched Dr. Who until they were sick of it, Reid read through several of his books; Reid got so bored he even cleaned his kitchen and changed the sheets on his bed.

They ate lunch and dinner… although Reid didn't really do much eating. He couldn't keep much down.

_10 p.m. - 40 hours clean _

Thankfully, mercifully, 10 o'clock came and they could both get some sleep.

Reid was exhausted, what with the withdrawal symptoms and the never ending boredom.

He said a half way civil good night to Morgan and headed to bed.

He changed his clothes and lay down, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

…And was immediately thrust into a nightmare.

He was back at the cemetery, tied to a chair.

"_Morgan? Morgan! Where are you?!" "Help me, someone!" _

"_No one can hear you" Tobias said, stepping into the room._

"_Oh no. NO! This isn't real, I'm dreaming. You're dead, I killed you myself!"_

"_Scream all you want, boy. Scream like the weak man you are" Tobias's other personality, Charles (his father) said. _

"_You're weak. You will never be clean" Charles said with a smirk. _

"_No, I will. I have to." _

_Then Tobias's face morphed into Hotch's face. _

"_Hotch?" Reid said, shocked. "Hotch, please help me!"_

"_Reid. How could you do this?"_

"_Do what?" Reid asked, confused._

"_How could become addicted to heroin? Why didn't you come to me for help?"_

"_I- I couldn't Hotch, I was afraid I would lose my job."_

"_Well you have" Hotch said with a disapproving glare._

"_W-what?" Reid stuttered, "No!"_

"_You're fired, Reid." "Goodbye."_

_Hotch's face morphed back into Tobias. Only this time, Tobias was Raphael (his other personality). ..And Raphael had a gun._

"_You have been judged and found guilty. Your sentence is death."_

_He held the gun to Reid's head and pulled the trigger._

"NOOOOO!" Reid woke up screaming.

_3 a.m. – 45 hours clean_

Morgan heard the scream and ran into Reid's room. "Reid. REID! Are you alright?"

Reid sat up, breathing hard. "Just a nightmare." "It was just a nightmare, right?"

"Yeah, Reid. It was just a dream." Morgan moved to touch Reid's shoulder.

"Don't. Don't touch me' Reid said softly.

"Reid?"

"Just don't touch me, okay?"

"Reid, I'm just trying to help-" Morgan began.

"I know! All you're trying to do is help, you just want to help. Eat this; do that. Are you okay, are you alright" Reid began, getting louder by the minute.

"Reid, I know you feel –" Morgan began.

"No, you don't know how I feel!" "I'm not ok-AY, I'm not ALRIGHT. I'm craving, my stomach hurts like hell, my head is pounding, and I'm shaking like I'm in a freaking earthquake! "I AM NOT OKAY!" Reid screamed.

"Just leave me alone, Morgan."

Morgan had remained silent through Reid's tirade. When Reid was finished, he got up and walked towards the door.

"Morgan -" Reid began.

"No, Reid, it's okay." "You're right, I don't know how you feel." "I've never been through this; I've never even helped someone through this before."

"…but no matter what you say or do, I'm not leaving. I told you I would help you, and I meant it." "I'll be in the living room if you need me" Morgan said softly. He left the room, closing the door on the way out with a small **click. **

Reid lay back on his pillow and sighed. _Great. _

_Great job, Reid. Alienate the only ally you have. _

He lay staring at the ceiling, until he slowly slipped back into sleep.

…And was thrown back into the same nightmare. Only this time, Raphael didn't shoot him.

Morgan did.

**There it is guys! Hope you liked it! Please keep reviewing :-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter! I'll be posting two more chapters today, following this one. I'm on a writing roll! Haha**

**I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

_9 a.m. – 51 hours clean_

Reid opened his eyes slowly, as the sun filtered through the curtains.

He hadn't slept well at all.

His night consisted of nightmare after nightmare, in which Hotch fired him, Tobias held him captive, and Morgan shot him.

He would wake up from one nightmare, go back to sleep, and immediately be thrust back into the same nightmare.

Not to mention the withdrawal symptoms.

It felt like he had a very bad case of the flu. He was cold, then hot, sweating, stomach cramps; you name it, he was experiencing it.

He sat up and received a very familiar jolt in his stomach.

He ran to the bathroom and reached the toilet just in time to throw up what little food was left in his system.

When he was done he flushed the toilet and just lay down on the bathroom floor. The cold tile felt good on his skin.

He lay there until slowly he slipped into deep and dreamless sleep.

…And that was how Morgan found him, an hour later.

MORGAN

Morgan walked into the bathroom and stopped.

Reid was lying on the floor.

He panicked for a moment before he realized that Reid was asleep. _Good._

Morgan knew Reid hadn't had a good night's sleep.

After Reid had woken him up at 3 A.M., Morgan had gone back to sleep only to hear Reid wake up at 4, 5, and 7 that morning, screaming.

He was tempted to go in there, but he knew that Reid would call for him if needed. He knew that Reid needed to work through this for himself, but he couldn't stand to see his friend in so much pain.

So, this morning he had heard Reid get sick and had given him time to himself, but after an hour, he had gotten worried when Reid didn't come out of the bathroom.

He went in there and this was what he had found.

Morgan was about to go get Reid a blanket, when Reid stirred.

He squinted and looked around. His eyes stopped at Morgan.

"Morgan?" he croaked out.

"Hey kid. How're you feeling?"

"Awful" Reid groaned.

Reid tried to push himself up off the floor, but found that he was too weak.

Morgan just waited.

Reid hesitated and then spoke.

"Um…Morgan? Could you…I mean, would you mind...um...helping me up?"

Morgan didn't hesitate. "Sure."

He walked over, took Reid's hand, and pulled him up to a standing position.

Reid swayed on the spot.

Grabbing Reid's arm, Morgan put it over his shoulder and supported his weight.

"Where to, Reid?"

"Bed, please" Reid said, too weak, too in pain, and too tired to argue.

Morgan helped Reid walk into the bedroom and sat him down on the bed.

Reid immediately lay down, curling up in pain.

"What do you need me to do?" Morgan asked, concerned.

"I have a heating pad in my kitchen cabinets; it's the one next to the refrigerator. Could you get it for me?"

Morgan nodded.

He found it exactly where Reid had said it was and brought it back to the bedroom. He plugged it in and handed it to Reid, who immediately put it on his stomach.

Reid breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Better?" Morgan asked.

"Better" Reid whispered.

"Try to get some rest Reid."

"Morgan?"

'Yeah, Reid?"

"I'm sorry...about before."

"I told you, Reid. You're forgiven."

"Thanks."

Morgan left the room, leaving the door open a crack so he could hear Reid.

Yawning, Morgan went and lay down on the couch, hoping to get some more sleep.

Morgan was almost asleep when his phone started ringing.

He picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

He answered with a sleepy "Hello?"

"_How's my baby boy doing?"_

Morgan chuckled. "I'm doing just fine, babygirl."

"_I meant my other baby boy. My boy genius."_

Morgan sat up, fully awake.

"What are you talking about Garcia?" he asked warily.

"_Oh please. Don't insult my intelligence. Hotch said you had taken emergency leave and that Reid was sick. I put two and two together."_

Morgan waited nervously. _Had she somehow found out about Reid's addiction?_

"_It's obvious isn't it? You took emergency leave so you could take care of Reid!"_

Morgan sighed in relief. _Whew. That was a close one._

"You caught me, babygirl."

"_How is he?"_

"He's got the stomach flu." Morgan felt bad for lying, but he had to protect Reid.

"_Aww. Poor baby. Is there anything I can do?"_

Morgan thought about it. He could use some more clothes, and Garcia did have a key to his house…and they were running out of food. Reid didn't keep much food in his apartment.

Debating with himself, he decided to risk it.

"Could you go by my place and grab me maybe a week's worth of clothes?

"_You're staying at Reid's place? Aww, that's so sweet of you! Of course I will!"_

"And Garcia, pack jeans and shirts, not suits. This is not fantasy dress-up. I know I look hot in a suit, but that's not what I'm going for here."

Garcia laughed. "_Oh honey, when I fantasize about you, I don't picture you in a suit."_

Now Morgan laughed. "You and your dirty mind."

"_Anything else you need?"_

"Well, we're kind of running low on food here, but you don't have to worry…"

"_Consider it done."_

"Garcia, no-"Morgan stopped when he heard the dial tone. She had hung up on him. Now he had to go prepare Reid for a Garcia invasion.

**UGH. I wish I could just magically have things be typed up after I write them. Typing takes forever! Thanks for reviewing, following, and favoriting! **


	14. Chapter 14

**As promised, here is the next chapter. I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

_12 p.m. – 54 hours clean_

Morgan got up and slowly walked over to Reid's room and opened the door.

The kid was still fast asleep.

Morgan hated to wake him, but he had to know what was coming.

Walking over, he sat on the side of the bed and gently shook Reid's shoulder. "Reid."

Reid groaned in response and opened one eye. "Huh?"

"Listen up, Reid. I need you to be awake for a minute."

"Okay. I'm awake" Reid said, opening both eyes.

"Garcia just called. She somehow figured out that..."

Reid stared in horror.

"No Reid. She thinks that you're sick and that I'm taking care of you, which is technically true."

Reid let out the breath he didn't even notice he was holding with a _whoosh._

"…but the thing is, she's coming here."

"What?" Reid asked, terrified.

"She asked me if I needed anything and I'm running out of clean clothes…and we're kind of running out of food…"

"Then do some laundry! Go to the store! Don't call Garcia!" Reid whined.

"Reid, listen. I can't leave you alone."

Reid started to protest, but Morgan silenced him with a look.

"I won't leave you alone…and I didn't call Garcia, remember?"

Reid nodded somewhat reluctantly.

"Now, you can stay in here and go back to sleep, or you can come hang out in the living room. The choice is up to you."

Hesitating, he added, "…but if you go back to sleep, it might be better because if you're awake she'll try to stay all day and take care of you."

Reid chuckled a bit, knowing that what he said was the truth.

"I'll go back to sleep. I'm still tired anyway."

"Do you need anything? A glass of water?" Morgan asked.

"Water would be good. I have to stay hydrated."

Morgan just shook his head. Even when Reid was sick, he still followed the rules.

He got Reid a glass of water and then went to make lunch.

Might as well feed his babygirl.

**There it was. I realize now that this chapter is REALLY short. …But that's okay, because I'll be posting the next chapter today. Stay tuned! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Alright, here is Chapter 15! I don't own Criminal Minds, and blah blah blah. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

_2 p.m. – 56 hours clean_

Someone knocked on the door. _Here we go._

Morgan took a deep breath and opened the door…and was immediately handed a duffel bag and 2 bags of groceries.

He set them down on the counter in the kitchen and dropped the duffel bag on the floor. Turning around, he saw Garcia walk in with two more grocery bags.

"How did you carry all of this?"

"Oh, a nice young man helped me carry everything upstairs."

Morgan shook his head in amusement. _Of course she found someone to help her._

"Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"Nope" Garcia replied.

"Well, I made a little something for us to eat. It's been keepin' warm in the oven."

"I have to see Reid first," Garcia said firmly, "Where is he?"

"He's sleeping."

"I'm going to peek in on him." "You," Garcia said, pointing a finger at him, "unpack those groceries and hang up those clothes before they wrinkle. Now where is Reid's room?"

Morgan pointed to Reid's bedroom door and Garcia headed that way.

Morgan went and unpacked the groceries, chuckling because Garcia had sounded just like his momma giving out orders.

GARCIA

Garcia opened Reid's door and spotted him curled up in bed asleep.

She walked over, noticing the heating pad and getting a better look at him.

_He was so pale. _

She sat down on the side of the bed next to him and pushed his hair out of his face.

Reid stirred.

"Reid, honey?"

Reid opened his eyes slowly, blinking heavily. "Hey, Garcia" he said sleepily.

"Hi honey. How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Not so great. The heating pad helps."

"Are you hungry at all?" she asked.

"No. I don't think I could keep anything down anyways."

"Well, I brought you some 7up and crackers and I will put them right here on your bedside table."

"Thanks Garcia" Reid said, closing his eyes. He was back asleep in less than a minute.

Garcia quietly left the room, returning only to bring the 7up and crackers. Then she went to have lunch with Morgan.

"He looks like he is having a rough time of it" Garcia told Morgan when they sat down to lunch.

"Yeah, he didn't sleep much last night. I'm glad he's getting some sleep now."

Studying Morgan, she was concerned.

"You look like you could use some sleep."

"I'm fine, babygirl."

"No you are not. I am going to go and you are going to lay your butt down on that couch and get some sleep. Capische?"

"Yeah, babygirl. I promise."

With that she kissed him on the cheek and left.

Morgan cleaned up the kitchen and then was only too happy to follow Garcia's orders.

He went over to the couch, lay down and promptly fell asleep.

_4 p.m. – 58 hours clean_

**Okay, tell the truth. How was it? Please review! Until next time! (which probably won't be very long)**


	16. Chapter 16

**HEY GUYS! It's been SO LONG! (or it feels like it) I'm so so sorry I haven't been able to put up new chapters for a few weeks. My laptop came off its hinges—literally. And I had to take it in to get fixed, which took FOREVER. So now, I finally got my baby back! So here's the next chapter, and as always, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

MORGAN

_3 a.m. – 69 hours clean_

_Something was off._

Morgan sat up quickly.

Something was wrong, but he couldn't place it.

Looking at his watch, he realized that he had been asleep for 11 hours straight.

_SHIT – _Morgan thought- _Reid could've gotten up and walked out of this apartment and I wouldn't have heard him._

Getting up, he walked to Reid's room and pushed open the door quietly.

Reid wasn't on his bed.

Getting more nervous by the second, Morgan looked all around the room. When he still couldn't find Reid, he looked in the bathroom. Not there.

Kitchen, not there. Reid's office, not there.

In full-blown panic mode now, Morgan checked the bedroom again.

He didn't see Reid and was about to go out looking for him when he heard what sounded like a whimper.

Walking further into the room, he heard it again.

Peering through the dark, he spotted a lump of what looked like blankets in a corner by the bed.

Going over to see what it was; Morgan spotted Reid's head peeking out of the top of the blankets.

He noticed something else.

Reid was shaking; teeth chattering and everything.

Morgan could see that Reid was in an enormous amount of pain.

As if Reid knew Morgan was there, he opened his eyes.

"Hey kid."

"Hey...Morgan" Reid forced out with some difficulty.

"How'd you end up over here?" Morgan asked.

"I was s-s-so cold that I just grabbed all the blankets off the bed and curled up in them."

"Why over here?"

"It's the warmest spot in the house" Reid whispered, his teeth starting to chatter again.

"What can I do, Reid?" Morgan asked, full of sympathy.

"Nothing yuh-yuh-you can do" Reid replied.

Morgan turned to leave.

"Wait- th-there is one thing you can do." Reid waited a beat. "Keep me company for a little while?"

"Sure, Reid." Morgan said, and walking over, he sat down next to Reid on the floor.

"Thanks Morgan."

"Anytime, kid."

They sat in silence, each comforted by the presence of the other.

Neither man slept for the rest of the morning.

At about 4 a.m. Reid felt the nausea come back with full force.

He barely made it to the toilet before he lost what little food he had in his stomach.

_5 a.m. – 71 hours clean_

Reid was back in the corner covered in blankets, and he was shaking and in so much PAIN.

"Morgan?" he winced. Even speaking hurt.

"Yeah?"

"Please. Please put me out of my misery."

"What are you talking about, Reid?" Morgan asked.

"Knock me out, drug me, do SOMETHING, please!"

"I can't kid, I'm sorry" Morgan said, wishing more than anything, that he could take the pain away.

"Don't. Call. Me. KID! I'm not a KID!"

"Reid, I-"

"No! DO Something! I need drugs! I NEED the PAIN to GO AWAY!"

"No Reid. I won't let you hurt yourself again."

"You won't LET me?!" Shoving the blankets off, Reid got up, muttering.

"Let me? Ha. This is my house and I'll do whatever I damn well please."

"Where are you going, Reid? Morgan got up, following him out of the bedroom.

He caught up to him as he was heading for the front door.

Grabbing Reid's arm, Morgan repeated himself.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Pulling his arm out of Morgan's grasp, Reid countered.

"Where do you _think_ I'm going? I'm getting the hell out of here, that's where I'm _going_!"

"No you're not" Morgan said firmly.

"Yes. I. AM." Reid said, and unlocking the door, he pulled it open.

…And Morgan slammed it shut. Keeping his hand on the door, Morgan said, "I'm not going to let you go out and buy more drugs to poison yourself with."

"Move, Morgan."

"No, Reid."

Reid tried to pry his hand off the door, but Morgan wouldn't budge.

Reid swung at him, but Morgan easily blocked him.

Reid kept swinging, but he was weak from withdrawal and Morgan blocked every one of them.

Reid finally stopped and sagged in what Morgan thought was defeat…until Reid charged into him and knocked him against the door.

"Reid! Stop this! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Morgan had enough.

He grabbed Reid in a headlock, and spun him around, pinning his arms behind his back.

"Dammit, Morgan! Let me go!"

"No, Reid. I can't do that" Morgan said calmly.

"Let me go! LET me GO!"

"Not until you calm down, Reid."

"Let me go" Reid said weakly.

Morgan let him go and Reid slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

Morgan locked the door and turned, squatting down in front of Reid.

"Morgan, please. Please-" was all Reid got out before he broke down, sobbing.

"I don't want to be this person, Morgan" Reid muffled, his hands covering his face.

"What do you mean?" Morgan waited as Reid tried to pull himself together.

Finally, Reid uncovered his face.

"I don't want to be this person that attacks their friends to get the next fix. I mean, look at me! I'm barefoot and in pajamas and I didn't care."

"…and part of me still wants to tackle you, rip open that door, and go find something to get high on."

"…but that's just it, Reid."

"What's it?" he asked.

"You're not acting on your thoughts" Morgan said, with a small grin.

"I did a minute ago."

"Reid, getting clean is a process. Sometimes you take it day to day, but sometimes you have to take it minute to minute."

"Right now is what counts, Reid." Reid sat there for what seemed like forever, thinking on what Morgan said.

"C'mon" Morgan said, standing to his feet. Reid just stared blankly at him.

"What?" Reid asked, confused.

"I'm hungry, starving actually. I could eat…well let's just say that I'm hungry" Morgan said with a half- laugh.

"You hungry?" he asked, sticking out his hand.

"Actually…yeah" Reid said, taking Morgan's hand and standing up, "I'm starving."

"Pancakes?" Morgan asked.

"Sounds good" Reid said, following Morgan to the kitchen. A sudden thought had him stopping in his tracks.

"Wait. Do you even know how to make pancakes?" he asked.

He was rewarded with a smack on the back of the head with a spatula.

_8 a.m. – 74 hours clean_

**Well? What did you think?! Reviews are appreciated and enjoyed! Until next time! **

**(I promise it won't be as long before I post the next chapter this time).**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Told you it wouldn't be as long before I posted :-) **

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds *sniffle* and all mistakes are my own.**

**And a special shout out to Namira! I can't thank you enough for helping me with this chapter!**

Chapter 17

_10 a.m. – 76 hours clean_

Morgan and Reid had eaten the slightly burnt pancakes that Morgan had made.

They had done the dishes and now they were sitting on the couch.

Morgan cleared his throat. "Kid, don't take this the wrong way, but…you stink. Bad."

Reid laughed. "I bet."

"Why don't you go take a shower?" Morgan asked. Chuckling, he added "Go, before I pass out from the smell."

Reid laughed and went to go take a shower.

Standing under the spray, Reid felt a hundred times better. He was so glad the physical withdrawal symptoms had dissipated.

_Finally- _he thought.

Getting out of the shower, Reid got dressed in his favorite clothing combination; slacks, a short sleeve button-down shirt and a sweater vest; plus socks and his favorite sneakers.

Feeling a little more like his old self again, Reid walked out into the living room.

Morgan looked up. "Ha. There's the Reid we all know."

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much" Reid responded.

Reid hesitated for a moment. "Hey, Morgan…do you think…maybe…we could get out of the apartment for a little while?"

Morgan looked at him, considering.

Taking in Morgan's expression, Reid quickly added, "There's a park just a couple of blocks away. We wouldn't have to go far. I just- we've been holed up in here for 3 days and-"

Morgan cut him off before he could start rambling. "Reid. Slow down. I understand. I've kind of been going a little crazy in here too."

"Okay. We can go to the park for a little bit. But, Reid, I swear, if you-"

This time, Reid was the one to interrupt. "Don't worry, Morgan. I won't make a break for it."

Morgan smiled. "Good. Just let me get changed and then we'll go."

"Hey, Morgan, don't take this the wrong way, but you stink."

Morgan laughed. "Let me go take a quick shower and then we'll go."

An hour later, they were walking out of the building, headed in the direction of the park.

Walking slowly, they kept up the small talk. Morgan kept telling Reid funny stories.

He believed firmly that laughter was the best medicine.

Reid kept looking around, breathing in the fresh air.

"Wow. I never knew how much a person could miss fresh air until now."

"I know" Morgan added, "I'm used to getting out every morning and going for a run."

"I've missed it."

They reached the park and sat down on a nearby bench.

Reid huffed, a little out of breath.

"You doing okay, Reid?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah" Reid huffed, "just a little out of breath."

"Well, barely eating and sleeping for 3 days will do that to you" Morgan said, grinning.

"Yeah. Thanks. I hadn't figured that out yet" Reid said sarcastically.

Morgan laughed, but his laugh quickly petered off when he noticed two men standing a little ways off.

There was no mistaking what was happening. The two men were engaged in a drug deal.

Morgan looked over, to see if Reid had seen it, but _Reid wasn't there._

_Where had he gone?!_

Looking around frantically, Morgan finally saw Reid walking rapidly away from the park.

As Morgan watched, Reid broke into a flat-out run.

_Where was he going?_

Morgan took off in a jog after him, catching up to him in a few moments.

He tried calling to him. "Reid! Reid!"

Reid didn't even turn around.

Resigned, Morgan decided to follow him, to make sure he wasn't going to go buy drugs or worse.

Morgan became confused when Reid turned the corner and began walking into his apartment building.

_Was he really just going home?_

Luckily, Reid took the stairs, so Morgan was able to follow him.

Reid exited the stairwell on the 3rd floor and went straight to his apartment.

Breathing heavily, he got to his door and reached into his pocket for his keys, but they weren't there.

Morgan watched Reid take out his frustration on the door. He hit it over and over again, until he got tired.

Reid finally put his back to the door and slid down into a sitting position.

A minute passed, and then Reid put his head on his knees and began sobbing.

Concerned, Morgan knelt next to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

Reid jolted, pulling away.

"Reid, it's okay. It's just me. It's Morgan."

Reid looked up slowly. "Morgan?"

"Yeah, buddy. It's me."

"Give me the key, Morgan."

Morgan looked confused. "What?"

"Give me the key or open the door."

"Okay…" Morgan did as he requested and opened the apartment door.

Reid entered the apartment and headed to his bedroom.

"Reid" Morgan called, "what are you doing?"

Reid came out of the bedroom carrying a wad of cash.

"Reid…you're not thinking…"

Reid acted like he didn't hear a word of what Morgan was saying.

It was almost like he was in a trance.

He headed straight for the front door.

Morgan beat him there. "Reid, you can't. Don't do this."

"Tired of fighting, just want to get high. Want another fix, forget everything" Reid muttered.

"Why try? Not good enough. Just as bad as he was."

"Reid," Morgan said quietly, "where is this coming from? What are you talking about, Reid?"

Reid let out a sob. "I'm just as bad as Tobias was. I put my mother in a home. I abandoned her; I only go see her a few times a year. I've shot people, I've killed people. Why do I deserve to get better?"

Reid began sobbing.

Morgan gently took the money out of his hands and set it down on the closest side table.

Reid sank down to the floor, still sobbing.

Morgan grabbed him into a hug and let him cry.

"I need help, Morgan," Reid sobbed into Morgan's shoulder, "the kind of help that you can't give."

"I know, buddy. I'm going to get you the help you need."

_1 p.m. – 79 hours clean_

Reid eventually calmed down and stood to his feet.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up."

Morgan looked at him warily. "Alright, I'll make some lunch. Are sandwiches okay?"

Reid nodded and headed down the hallway.

He went into the bathroom and washed his face. Looking in the mirror, he knew what he needed to do next.

Reid went into his office and turned on his laptop. He rarely used his computer, but this was the quickest way to find the information he needed.

Morgan was making lunch when he saw Reid go into his office.

Several minutes passed and Morgan became concerned when Reid didn't come out.

He went down the hallway to the office and walked in on Reid at his computer.

"Reid? Is everything okay?" Morgan asked, walking closer.

Reid turned around. "I found a Narcotics Anonymous for people in Law Enforcement."

Morgan was a little startled by the intensity in Reid's statement. "Why don't you come eat and you can tell me about it."

"Okay" Reid said, following him into the kitchen.

Sitting down, they started eating. Reid ate his food with a renewed energy.

Morgan hadn't seen Reid like this in a long time; not since he was kidnapped by Tobias Hankel.

"So tell me about this Narcotics Anonymous group."

Reid swallowed and told him all about it. "It's called the Beltway Clean Cops. They meet every Sunday and Wednesday at 6 p.m."

"It sounds perfect for you, Reid" Morgan replied.

Reid hesitated. "Do you think you could drive me to the meeting tonight? They meet at Wesley United Methodist Church in the meeting hall; it's located at 5125 Connecticut Avenue."

"Sure, Reid, I don't mind at all."

The next few hours passed by slowly, with Reid getting more and more anxious.

At one point, Morgan had to remind Reid that "he couldn't move the couch, no matter how hard he bounced his legs."

At precisely 5:15, Reid couldn't take it anymore. "Can we go?" he asked. "If we wait any longer, I'll lose my nerve."

"Me too" Morgan muttered under his breath.

"What?" Reid asked. "I said let's go" Morgan said.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the church parking lot.

Morgan parked and then turned to Reid. "Do you want me to go in there with you?"

Reid shook his head. "I have to do this myself." "The meeting should last approximately 60 minutes" he added.

Morgan nodded, smothering a laugh. Reid was sounding more like himself by the minute.

Reid gulped and opened the car door.

"I'll be here when you get done, Reid."

Reid nodded and got out of the car.

Morgan stopped him before he shut the door. "Reid, you can do this. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Morgan." With that Reid shut the car door and walked inside the building.

_6 p.m. – 84 hours clean_

**That's it for this chapter! Reviews are appreciated as always! Note: I borrowed the name of Reid's support group from the show. I borrowed the location for the meeting by randomly searching for churches in Washington D.C. Whether that church has N.A. meetings, or not, I don't know :-) **


	18. Chapter 18

**Here we go guys! Here's the next chapter. There will probably only be a few more chapters depending on what I can think up.**

**All rights to Criminal Minds belong to CBS and the writers of the show…and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

_7 p.m. – 85 hours clean_

Morgan tapped out a beat on the steering wheel.

An hour had passed and Reid still hadn't emerged from the church.

Morgan was half-afraid that he wouldn't come back.

He looked toward the door for the tenth time and finally saw a crowd of people leaving the building.

Morgan spotted Reid and breathed a sigh of relief.

Reid spoke briefly with a man, waved and then headed towards Morgan's SUV.

Morgan turned to Reid as he got in the car.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Good. The coffee was horrible though" Reid said, smiling a little.

"I feel better. Mentally, I mean. The meeting helped me really understand what I'm feeling and what is at stake if I relapse."

"And physically?" Morgan asked, "How are you, physically?"

"I'm doing okay. Still exhausted, but getting better. The withdrawal symptoms have pretty much disappeared…well…except for…"

"The cravings" Morgan finished for him.

Reid nodded.

"But a good friend told me that sometimes you take it day to day, and sometimes you have to take it minute to minute. 'Right now is what counts', I believe is what he said."

"Sounds like a smart friend" Morgan said, grinning.

"He has his moments."

Morgan laughed. "Let's go."

They drove back to Reid's apartment in comfortable silence.

"Are you hungry?" Morgan asked as they entered the apartment.

"Starving" Reid answered, sitting down on the couch.

"Pizza?" Morgan asked.

"Sounds good."

"What kind?"

"Pepperoni?" Reid asked.

"My favorite" Morgan answered.

While Morgan called for the pizza, Reid grabbed the television remote and started flipping channels.

Morgan finished calling for pizza and wandered into the living room.

Reid had settled on a news channel and was watching the broadcast intently.

"What're you watching?" Morgan asked.

"Police found the body of a child on the bank of the Potomac" Reid said, turning to Morgan, "he was shot in the head."

Morgan sank down onto the couch. _Cases with kids always hit him hard._

Having heard enough, Morgan grabbed the remote and turned the tv off.

Both men sat in silence for a few minutes.

Reid kept clearing his throat and shifting in his seat.

Finally, Morgan spoke up.

"Is something wrong, Reid?" he asked.

"No…umm…I just…" Reid stuttered.

"Spit it out, Reid," Morgan said, "What is it?"

Reid took a deep breath.

"We need to go back to work," Reid said quietly, "…I need to go back to work."

_9 p.m. – 87 hours clean_

Morgan sat back. He hadn't seen this one coming.

"Are you sure you're ready for that, kid? I mean you just went cold turkey off a highly addictive drug."

"Morgan, our team is down by two. What happens if they get a case?"

"They can handle it, Reid," Morgan said, "You need to focus on you right now."

"I mean, c'mon man, less than 24 hours ago you were suffering severe withdrawal and fighting me to go buy drugs!"

"I know, Morgan, but you don't understand!" Reid said, standing to his feet.

Morgan got up too.

"Reid. The cases we handle…they aren't exactly…I mean, what happens when we go back to work and you have to face the horrors of the job again?"

"If you go back to work too soon, how long do you think it'll take for you to go back to the drugs?"

"Reid, you know the chances of you recovering from a relapse are…"

"I know, Morgan" Reid said, calmly.

"I know the risks. But I also know that there are people that need our help. Plus, this time will be different."

"How?" Morgan asked.

"I have you to help me. I can tell you if it's too much or if I'm having a bad day…"

"I don't have to go through this alone."

Morgan could tell Reid wasn't going to back down, but he tried one last tactic.

"Okay. Here's the deal. You stay home tomorrow."

Before Reid could protest, Morgan added, "And I won't stop you from going back to work on Tuesday."

"Do we have a deal?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Reid nodded, grabbed Morgan's hand and shook it.

Then, a thought occurred to Reid. "Wait, Morgan, what are we going to tell Hotch? Won't he think it's strange that we're coming back on the same day?"

"Well, we could play it one of two ways. Call him separately and tell him we'll both be in on Tuesday, or I could tell him that I was taking care of you because you had a stomach bug. I think number two is more convincing, because remember, you did drop the phone when he called you and you sounded awful."

Reid thought on it and decided, "I think I would rather tell him part of the truth rather than to lie straight out."

"Plus, Garcia knows you were taking care of me and that I was sick. And you know she's not big on keeping secrets."

Morgan chuckled. "True."

"Alright. It's settled then," Reid said, "stay home tomorrow, back to work on Tuesday."

"Done" Morgan said.

The doorbell rang.

"Pizza's here."

"Finally!" Reid exclaimed. "I'm starved."

"I got it," Morgan said, going toward the door.

He pulled out his wallet and opened the door.

"How much do I owe you?" he asked, pulling out a $20 bill.

"I'd say an explanation, for one."

**UH OH! Who's at the door? It's definitely not the pizza guy! Reviews are appreciated!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! Loved the reviews! As most of you suspected, the visitor at the door is (drum roll) Hotch. What great profilers you are! (and it really wasn't that hard to guess haha)**

**I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

_I'd say an explanation, for one."_

Morgan's head whipped up.

"Hotch!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question, Morgan" Hotch said, crossing his arms.

"Well…I…uh…" Morgan stuttered.

Hotch cocked an eyebrow and waited.

"I took emergency leave so I could take care of Reid" Morgan admitted.

"Was he really that bad?" Hotch asked, concern written all over his face.

Morgan nodded. 'He's way better now, though."

"I could see that by the fact that you were about to pay for take-out food when you opened the door" Hotch said dryly.

"Are you gonna let me in or do I have to stand out here all night?" Hotch asked.

Morgan muttered an apology and stepped to one side so he could enter the apartment.

"What are you doing here so late, Hotch?" Morgan asked.

"I wanted to check on Reid and see if he felt up to coming into work tomorrow" Hotch said.

Morgan had a feeling that Hotch wasn't telling the truth.

"Where is Reid anyways?" Hotch asked.

"He's in the living room."

They both walked into the living room, but Reid wasn't there.

"Reid?" Morgan called.

As if in answer, they heard the distinct sounds of someone throwing up coming from the bathroom.

Morgan jogged down the hallway to the bathroom.

'Reid?" he asked, pushing the door open.

The sight that greeted him was Reid throwing up over the toilet.

"Reid" he said, walking over.

"I'm sorry, Morgan, I thought it was over" Reid whimpered.

"Hey" Morgan whispered, "you don't have to apologize."

Morgan knelt down next to Reid and rubbed his back soothingly.

"I don't understand" Reid exclaimed, letting tears escape, "I felt fine all day long!"

Reid sat back against the tub and began sobbing.

Morgan flushed the toilet and silently sat down next to Reid; which gave him a view of the doorway…where Hotch now stood, the expression on his face unreadable.

Hotch looked like he was about to say something, but the doorbell rang.

Morgan wordlessly dug out the $20 bill from his pocket and held it out, his eyebrow raised in a silent question.

Hotch nodded, took the money and left to answer the door.

"I'm not hungry anymore, Morgan" Reid said softly.

_10pm – 88 hours clean_

"I know, kid, we'll save it for later when you're feeling better."

Reid nodded and closed his eyes tiredly, leaning his head on Morgan's shoulder.

They sat that way for a few minutes until Morgan felt Hotch's presence at the doorway again.

He looked up and Hotch mouthed that they needed to talk and nodded toward the living room.

Morgan nodded and nudged Reid.

"C'mon Pretty Boy, let's get you to bed."

Reid nodded with his eyes still closed, but made no move to get up.

Morgan sighed, got up off the floor and picked Reid up.

_Geez. _Reid had really lost weight_. The kid was almost lighter than a feather._

Reid didn't even stir as Morgan carried him into his bedroom and placed him on his bed.

Morgan pulled the covers over him and silently walked out of the bedroom, closing the door, and headed towards the living room.

Hotch was waiting for him on the couch.

Morgan had scarcely walked into the room before Hotch spoke.

"What is he addicted to?" he murmured, barely loud enough for Morgan to hear.

Morgan stopped in his tracks.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"My father was an alcoholic. I know the signs of withdrawal, Morgan" Hotch replied.

"Dilaudid" Morgan answered.

Hotch closed his eyes, as if in physical pain.

How long?" he whispered.

"Since Hankel kidnapped him."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose, trying keep his composure.

"Sit down."

Morgan sat in the chair next to the couch.

"Here is what's going to happen," Hotch explained in a low voice, "we are not going to tell anyone about this. Reid will still work for the BAU."

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief, but Hotch wasn't done.

"However, you are to stay close to him. Make sure he doesn't relapse because if he does, I'm not sure I can protect him from Strauss."

Morgan nodded, understanding exactly what was at stake.

Hotch got up. "Reid doesn't need to know I was here or that I know. I don't even think he noticed that I showed up."

"I'll see you both at work on Tuesday" Hotch said.

Morgan looked up in surprise.

_So Hotch __**had**__ heard them arguing._

"Reid missed his calling" Hotch said.

"Huh?" Morgan asked.

"He should have been a lawyer" Hotch said, with what almost passed for a grin on his face.

With that Hotch turned and left, shutting the front door behind him.

Morgan locked the door and then went over and sank down on the couch.

_Did that just happen?_

**Woah. Did that just happen? :-) I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and PMs are awesomely appreciated!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Miss me? You know you did! Haha J well anyways, here's the next chapter!**

**I can't believe this'll be my 20****th****! Thank you all for your support with this story!**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy! Also, I will be posting ch.21 almost immediately after this one. I didn't want this chapter to be so long it made your eyes bleed, so I split it up into two chapters J**

Chapter 20

_11 p.m. – 89 hours clean_

Morgan sat on the couch until he registered his ever growing hunger.

He got up and noticed that Hotch had put the pizza on the counter, along with his change.

Morgan grabbed a slice out of the box and bit into it.

_Still warm_ – he thought.

Still eating the slice, he walked down the hall to check on Reid. Opening the door, he peeked in and, noting that Reid was still asleep, moved to shut the door.

"No fair," Reid mumbled.

"What's not fair?" Morgan asked.

"Bringing that in here, my favorite kind of pizza, when you knew I wouldn't be able to eat it."

Morgan grinned. "Well, to be fair, I thought you were asleep."

Reid groaned. "Like I could sleep with you waving that around."

Morgan chucked."Do you want to try a piece?"

"Do you want me to blow chunks everywhere?" Reid asked.

Morgan winced at the image.

"My stomach is too upset for that," Reid said, "…I could go for some crackers and ginger ale, though."

"Sure kid. Be right back."

By the time Morgan brought the crackers and ginger ale, Reid was back asleep.

Morgan set them down on the bedside table and went to get some sleep of his own.

The next day passed by without much incidence.

Reid was well again, and they spent the day watching television, talking, and just hanging out like the friends they were.

Around 1 p.m., they decided to walk to the park again.

Once they settled on a park bench (the same one they sat on last time) Morgan turned to Reid.

"So are you ready to go back to work?"

Reid nodded. "I think so."

"So, I'm thinkin' we need to come up with a code word or something" Morgan said.

Reid looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"For at work," Morgan continued, "if you're having trouble coping, or you're craving, or just whatever."

"Hmm" Reid said, thinking.

"Well, how about if you want to ask me if I'm okay, you raise your eyebrows and I'll nod if I am, and I'll shake my head slightly if I'm not."

Morgan nodded slowly. "I like it…but if it gets bad, and you need to talk to me, you find a free minute and you tell me, okay?"

"You do whatever you have to do to get my attention. Text me, tell me you need to ask me a question, whatever you need to do."

Reid nodded. "I will, I promise."

"And you need to keep going to those Narcotics Anonymous meetings; every Wednesday and Sunday. If you need a ride, I'll give you one, but unless we're on a case, you've got to go to those meetings."

"Yes, dad." Reid said, unable to hide his grin in time.

Morgan laughed and lightly shoved Reid. "Alright Mr. Smarty Pants."

"That's Dr. Smarty Pants to you" Reid said, shoving Morgan back.

They soon headed back to Reid's apartment and the rest of the day passed by much too quickly for either of them.

Tuesday arrived before they knew it.

_6 a.m. – 120 hours (5 days) clean_

Reid woke up.

_Today's the day_ – he thought.

He got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom, spotting Morgan still asleep on the couch as he went.

One hour later, he was showered, dressed, and ready to go to work.

Walking into the living room, he saw that Morgan was still asleep.

He briefly thought about waking him up, but he figured the smells of coffee and breakfast cooking would wake him up, and he was right.

He had started the coffee-maker, and was frying up some eggs when he heard the couch creak.

"Something smells good" Morgan's voice carried from the living room.

"I'm frying up some eggs. You want some?" Reid asked.

"Yeah. Want me to make some toast?" Morgan asked, walking into the kitchen.

"You think you can handle that? Wouldn't want my apartment to burn down on the day I go back to work" Reid joked.

"Oh. Man's got jokes. You don't wanna start with me, Reid. Remember the last time?" Morgan asked.

Reid remembered perfectly. Reid had scammed Morgan on a bet, Morgan had escalated by giving Reid's phone number out to the media, and then Reid had won the war by messing with Morgan's ipod and phone, recording himself screaming on both.

Reid chuckled. He would never forget the look on Morgan's face that day.

Both men finished cooking, got coffee and sat down to eat.

They sat in companionable silence, eating their breakfast.

As they finished, Morgan looked over at Reid.

"You ready for this, Reid?" he asked.

Reid nodded. "I'm not going to say that I'm not nervous, because I am, but I'm ready."

Morgan nodded, finishing his coffee.

"Uh, Morgan?" Reid asked, "You might want to get around."

"Why's that?" Morgan asked.

"It's 8 o'clock…and it takes 20 minutes, give or take, to get to work from my apartment…and we're supposed to be in at…"

"9 o'clock. Shiiiit" Morgan exclaimed, and jumping up, he went to get in the shower.

Reid laughed out loud.

By 8:30, Morgan was dressed and ready to go, and they left the apartment, go bags in hand (and Reid's satchel).

They reached the BAU with 10 minutes to spare.

They parked and sat there in Morgan's SUV.

Reid was staring forward.

"You ready Reid?" Morgan asked.

Reid didn't respond, so Morgan tried again. "Reid."

Reid started. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready, I'm ready."

He moved to open the door, but Morgan stopped him with a hand.

"Reid. Are you sure? I don't want you to go back if you don't feel ready. I can call Hotch and tell him that we'll be back tomorrow instead."

Reid shook his head. "No. No. If I don't come back now, I'll never come back. I have to do this."

"I'll be right there with you Reid" Morgan replied.

They got out of the SUV and headed into the building.

They got in the elevator to head up to their offices.

As the elevator reached their floor, Morgan clapped Reid on the shoulder in a show of support.

The elevator doors opened.

**Hope you guys liked it! I love reviews and PMs (hint hint), so feel free to do either!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Here's Chapter 21! You know you love me for posting two chapters in one night. Admit it. I'm your favorite. Haha J**

**As always, I don't own Criminal Minds (all hope is lost) and all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 21

Getting off the elevator, Morgan and Reid headed toward the bullpen.

All of sudden, they heard a squeal.

They both turned and saw Garcia running down the hallway toward them.

They both tried to escape by pretending they didn't see her and trying to get into the bullpen, but she caught them before they reached the doors.

"My boys are back!" she squealed, and she grabbed them both in a hug.

"Ow Garcia, please. Can't breathe" Reid choked out.

Garcia let go. "Sorry, sorry!" she said, "I'm just so glad you're back!"

"Us too, Babygirl," Morgan said, "but no one really needs to know that I was on leave because Reid was sick."

"Ummm…" Garcia began.

"…Everyone knows, don't they" Reid asked dryly.

"Well…I couldn't exactly keep it from them…" Garcia trailed off.

Prentiss and Rossi chose that moment to step off the elevator.

"Glad your back from babysitting Morgan" Prentiss joked.

"Ha ha Prentiss" Morgan shot back.

"Seriously, though. Glad you two are back. How are you feeling Reid?" Rossi asked.

"Better. It was touch and go there for a while, but I'm ready to be back" Reid answered.

"You are still too pale. And you lost weight" Garcia frowned, "I'm going to have to fatten you up."

Reid looked to Morgan for help and Morgan shrugged.

_No one got in the way of his Babygirl. _

He chuckled and held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry, Pretty Boy, there's no way I'm getting in the middle of this."

"Ugh. I need coffee" Reid replied.

Everybody laughed and followed him into the bullpen.

As they made their way to their desks, Hotch came out of his office.

"Good morning, everyone. Morgan, could I have a word?"

Morgan nodded. "Sure."

He walked into Hotch's office and Hotch followed after him, shutting the door behind him and closed the blinds on his window.

"I wonder what that's about" Prentiss commented as she got started on some paperwork.

"I don't know. I hope it's not bad news" Reid said.

He was worried, but he shrugged it off, getting to work on the large pile of files that had accumulated on his desk.

In Hotch's office, Morgan and Hotch were seated on the couch.

"How's Reid doing?" Hotch asked, getting right down to business.

"He's doing okay. He was up before I was this morning. He even made breakfast."

Hotch chuckled. "Did you tell him that I stopped by last night?"

"No, I told him that I called you to let you know that we would both be in today. By the way, everyone else thinks that…"

"That Reid was sick and you took care of him?" Hotch finished, "Yeah I heard about that one. Might be best if you tell Reid that was the reason I called you in here."

"I was gonna tell him as much. Well, anything else you wanted to touch base on?" Morgan asked.

"There was one other thing. Did you work out a system with Reid for in case he gets overwhelmed?" Hotch asked.

"We did. And he's promised that he will continue to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings on Wednesday and Sunday evenings when we aren't away on a case."

"Good. Let me know if there are any problems."

Morgan nodded and got up to leave, but Hotch stopped him.

"…and Morgan? If it gets to be too much for you, you can always talk to me. Alright?" he asked.

"Got it. Thanks Hotch" Morgan said, walking out of his office.

As Morgan made his way through the bullpen to his desk, Reid caught his attention.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Morgan replied, "Hotch was just letting me know that I should just tell him the truth next time I need to take emergency leave, even if it's to take care of a team member. He would rather have known that I was taking care of you then to wonder if I was in trouble or something. He said that he wasn't happy that I didn't tell him the truth."

"Oh. Okay" Reid said, going back to work.

Morgan got settled at his desk and got started on paperwork of his own.

_Ugh. _He hated paperwork.

The day passed by slowly. Everybody was getting ready to break for lunch when J.J. came through the bullpen and headed to Hotch's office, not saying anything to the team.

_Uh oh_ – Morgan thought.

About a minute later, J.J. came out of Hotch's office.

_Conference room. We've got a case. – _Reid thought.

"Hey guys. Hotch needs us in the conference room in 5. We've got a case" she said.

She went to walk away, but then turned back. "Welcome back Spencer," she said, "…and Morgan" she added as an afterthought.

Morgan chuckled. "I see how it is" he responded.

He waited for Reid to get up and they walked together to the conference room.

They both took a seat at the round table and waited for J.J. to get started.

Everyone arrived shortly after and J.J. started the presentation.

"Alright gentleman and one lady, here's what we've got…" she began.

**Allllllrighttttyyy. There it was. Hope you enjoyed! Reviews and PMs are appreciated!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello there. You have reached an alternate dimension where everything Criminal Minds is MINE! MINE MINE MINE! *evil laugh* *EVIL LAUGH* **** just kidding. **

**All rights to Criminal Minds belong to CBS and the writers of the show. And all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This chapter is going to be based on the episode "Jones" (episode 2x18), BUT there will be changes. (and sorry for taking such a long time with this chapter)**

Chapter 22

"…_here's what we've got…"_

"We have a serial in New Orleans. Three of the bodies were found before Katrina and the killer was believed to have been killed in the hurricane, but that was before another body was found – this time in the French Quarter."

"The fourth body was dumped last night" J.J. finished.

"Are we sure it's the same guy?" Prentiss asked.

"Yeah, same M.O, and according to a letter written by someone claiming to be the unsub. The men's throats were slashed and they were cut open…viciously" J.J. said, pulling the picture of the latest victim up on the television screen.

The pictures were gruesome.

When no one was looking, Reid turned his head away from the images and took a deep breath to steady himself, then turned back and listened to the rest of the presentation.

They were briefed in the next 15 minutes and Hotch dismissed them all with the usual, "meet on the jet, wheels up in 30."

Morgan followed Reid over to the bullpen to grab his go-bag and caught his attention.

"Hey. Need a ride to the jet?" he asked.

"Yeah, Morgan, you know I-" Reid began.

He stopped when understanding dawned.

J.J. and Prentiss were standing within hearing distance.

"…that would be great" Reid finished.

They walked out to the parking garage in comfortable silence.

Once inside Morgan's SUV, Reid turned to Morgan.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just thought you might want a break before we get thrown into this case. Looks like its going to be a bad one' Morgan said simply.

"You gonna be able to do this?" Morgan asked.

"I have to" was all Reid said.

Too soon they were on the jet, headed to New Orleans.

They discussed the case, hoping to glean any clues as to who the unsub was and why he/she was targeting these men; especially since J.J. had talked to the lead investigator and found out that the first three victims' bodies, and all the evidence with them, had been washed away in Katrina, almost two years ago.

So the only evidence to be had came with the fourth body.

They were just waiting for another body to show up.

The lead detective, Will LaMontagne Jr. met them at the police station.

"Welcome to New Orleans" he said with a strong Louisiana accent.

Introductions were made and the team got right to work.

Rossi and Prentiss went with Detective LaMontagne to the latest crime scene, and J.J. was handling the media.

Morgan, Reid and Hotch stayed behind trying to come up with a profile.

About an hour in, Morgan looked up and noticed Reid staring at the letter the unsub sent.

"Reid?"

Reid looked up.

"Everything okay?" Morgan asked.

Reid nodded absentmindedly.

Morgan knew that face. Any minute now he was going to spout out a breakthrough in the case.

Five minutes later, Morgan was proven right.

"I think the unsub is a woman" Reid said, incredulously.

Despite Reid's revelation, three hours later the team was stuck.

Reid was growing tired and Morgan could see it, especially when Reid threw his pen onto the table.

_Yep. Definitely time for a break._

Morgan got up and, walking over to Reid, took the file out of Reid's hand.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?!" Reid exclaimed.

"You need a break, and I need food," Morgan said simply, "so we are going to go get some."

Reid looked puzzled. "Alright…"

Morgan grabbed Hotch's attention and let him know they were headed out to grab dinner.

Once outside the station, Reid breathed a sigh of relief.

Morgan chuckled. "There's a diner just down the block. Want to eat there?" he asked.

Reid nodded and they headed that way.

"It seems I keep thanking you Morgan," he said, "I was about to lose it in there."

"I could tell."

The men reached the diner shortly and went in.

They chose a table midway to the back of the diner, facing the door.

Looking at their menus, each man quickly decided what he wanted to eat, knowing that they could be called back into the field at a moment's notice.

They ate in silence, both enjoying their break from work.

Twenty minutes later they had paid the bill and were just about to leave when they heard someone call Reid's name.

"Spencer?"

Reid turned, confused. "Ethan?" he asked, shocked.

"Spencer, how's it going man?!" the man asked, walking up to their table.

"It's been a long time" Reid stuttered. "Derek, meet Ethan. We went to school together."

"Nice to meet you Ethan" Derek replied, eyeing Reid as he did so.

"So what are you doing in New Orleans, Spencer?" Ethan asked.

"I'm here on a case," Reid replied, looking at his watch, "which we should probably be getting back to."

He got up and Morgan did as well.

Ethan grabbed Reid's arm lightly as he turned to walk away.

"Hey listen, I've been playing some gigs not far from here at a place called The Lounge. I have a gig tomorrow night at 8pm if you want to come and maybe catch up afterward."

Reid nodded. "Maybe, if we're not too busy with the case."

He and Morgan left the diner and headed back to the station.

"What was that about, Reid?" Morgan asked.

"What are you talking about?" Reid answered, evading.

"Apparently you guys go back a ways, and you treated him like he was some stranger."

Reid turned to him. "The last time I saw Ethan was at the F.B.I. Training Academy. He backed out after the first week. Morgan, I haven't seen him in almost 10 years."

"Why is that?" Morgan asked.

"The reason he backed out of the F.B.I. academy was because they do drug-testing."

Morgan looked at him.

"He was an alcoholic and he liked to experiment with drugs. It didn't matter what kind."

Morgan nodded. "Okay…"

"Maybe he's clean now, though," Reid continued, thoughtful, "he didn't look like he was under the influence."

Seeing Morgan's worried expression, he changed the subject. "Let's get back to work."

They went back into the station and did just that.

Over the next two days, the team worked tirelessly, trying to get the unsub before she killed again.

Eventually, they found out that the woman was getting revenge on the men who raped her.

She was caught trying to kill the only man that was left.

After she was caught, the team wrapped up at the station and headed back to the hotel.

"We'll spend another night here and catch a flight out in the morning," Hotch said, as they arrived at the hotel, "meet here in the lobby at 9 a.m. sharp."

Everyone agreed and headed up to their rooms, except for Reid and Morgan.

Reid turned to Morgan. "I think I'm going to catch Ethan's show tonight, seeing as we won't be leaving until the morning."

"Are you sure, Reid?" Morgan asked. "I mean, you _just _got clean. What happens if he is still using?"

"Yeah," Reid nodded, "I think I'm going to give him another chance."

"Alright," Morgan sighed, "Do you need a ride?" he asked.

"No, I'll just catch a cab" Reid responded.

He left the hotel with Morgan looking worriedly after him.

**There it was! Reviews and PMs are appreciated!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello all. Here's the next chapter **

**As always, I have no claim to Criminal Minds, except to write (hopefully) great fanfiction stories. All mistakes are my own. Enjoy!**

Chapter 23

Reid arrived at the club just after 8 p.m.

When he walked in, Ethan was already playing the piano.

Reid settled into one of the armchairs and listened.

He thought Ethan had really improved since he had last heard him play.

Thirty minutes passed by quickly, as Reid was immersed in the music.

At the end of his set, Ethan walked over and sat down by Reid.

"You're very good" Reid complimented.

"Thanks" Ethan responded.

After a brief silence, Ethan spoke again.

"So, how have you been Spencer?" he asked.

"I'm doing alright" Reid replied.

"Really?" Ethan asked, "The fact that you can't sit still tells me otherwise."

Reid didn't respond.

"How long have you been using?" Ethan asked.

Reid looked at him in shock. "I'm not- I haven't…"

Ethan waited.

Reid sighed. "I am 134.5 hours clean, but before that, I had been using for 6 months, 2 days and 17 hours."

"Using what?" Ethan asked.

Reid remained silent, but Ethan wouldn't let it go.

"What was your drug of choice?" he asked.

"Dilaudid" Reid said quietly. Ethan always knew how to get answers out of him.

Ethan whistled. "Prescription heroin! None of the light stuff for !"

"Go big or go home!" he practically yelled.

"I tried some myself. It was great. Dulled the senses and was super calming" Ethan continued in a normal voice.

"You've tried Dilaudid?" Reid asked.

"Of course I have! Not my kind of drug, though, "Ethan continued, "My taste is more towards cocaine."

"You…are you still using?" Reid asked nervously.

"Of course I am! Why stop?" Ethan asked.

Reid floundered. "Uhh…be- because…"

"Because why?" Ethan asked, "…because you can't function when you're high?"

"I actually function better when I've had a hit," Ethan said, "I have more energy and I have more fun!"

Seeing the disbelief and judgment on Reid's face, Ethan went on.

"C'mon, don't tell me that you hated being high."

"P-please stop" Reid whispered.

"Don't tell me you didn't like how it blocked everything out, how you could finally turn off that brain of yours. How it blocked out all the murders and sick people you have to deal with."

Reid had covered his ears during Ethan's tirade, but he had still heard every word.

_And he missed it, the Dilaudid._

_At that moment, he would have given ANYthing to get his hands on some Dilaudid, or even straight heroin._

Instead, what he did was pull out his phone.

"Who ya callin' Spencer?" Ethan asked in a sing-song voice.

Reid pressed the first number on his speed dial and the person answered almost immediately.

"Reid?" the person asked.

"Morgan, can you come get me?" Reid asked, his voice shaking.

Reid rattled off the address.

"I'll be there in 15 minutes" Morgan assured him.

Reid got up and walked away from Ethan.

He was not going to spend 15 more minutes with him, especially because he was high.

Fortunately for Reid, Ethan's break was over and he went back over to the piano to play another set.

Reid decided to sit down again.

He figured he might as well listen to the music while he was waiting.

MORGAN

Morgan hung up the phone and swore.

He knew that Ethan guy was trouble.

Quickly pulling his shoes on, he grabbed his keys and jacket and was out the door of his hotel room.

Just before the door shut, he remembered to grab his room key card as well.

The elevator would take too much time, so he took the stairs and was in an SUV headed to get Reid within 5 minutes.

He got to the club within 10 minutes and hastily parked.

Inside the club, he spotted Reid immediately.

Walking over to him, he called his name.

"Reid."

Reid looked up and Morgan could see the relief on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Reid shook his head and whispered "No."

Morgan held out a hand to him. "Let's get out of here."

Reid nodded and grabbed his hand.

Morgan pulled him up out of the chair and they left.

Reid was silent on the way back to the hotel.

Morgan kept quiet and let him have his peace even as they arrived at the hotel and walked up the two flights of stairs to their hotel room (they had all shared rooms; Hotch was rooming with Rossi and J.J. was with Prentiss).

Once inside the room, Reid went over to the bed closest to the window and sat down, curled up in a ball against the headboard.

"Reid, talk to me man" Morgan begged, worried.

Finally Reid spoke.

"Ethan…" Reid cleared his throat, "Ethan is still using. Cocaine, he's using cocaine."

"He- he told me that he's used Dilaudid before."

"He just kept going on and on."

"_It's so calming. Tell me you don't miss it, tell me you don't miss how it blocked everything out and you could finally stop that brain of yo-"_ Reid stopped talking.

He started rocking back and forth, his hand clamped over his mouth.

"Reid" Morgan said softly.

He walked over and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Reid what do you need?" he asked.

"Just-" Reid said with a sob, "just don't let me leave."

Morgan nodded and Reid put his head down and let the tears come.

The next few hours were tense ones.

Reid kept curled up in a ball, occasionally rocking back and forth slightly.

At first, Morgan had tried to get Reid to talk to him, but Reid wasn't having it.

He stayed silent.

Eventually Morgan moved to where he was leaning against the headboard, on the other side of the bed, and stretched out his legs.

He grabbed the remote to the hotel television and turned it on, flipping channels until he found a basketball game.

This caught Reid's attention.

He slowly turned his head to look at Morgan, with a strange look on his face.

'What?" Morgan asked.

Finally, Reid spoke.

"Really?" he asked, "you're watching basketball, _now_?"

Morgan chuckled.

"It's not funny, Morgan!" Reid exclaimed.

Hurt, he turned his head away. "I'm glad you think this is amusing" he deadpanned.

Morgan stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Reid nodded and turned his attention to the TV.

Morgan looked over and noticed that Reid was still curled up in a ball, hands linked tightly around his bent legs.

"Reid, aren't you uncomfortable sitting in that position?" Morgan asked.

"Why don't you stretch out and relax?"

Reid didn't answer.

Morgan leaned over and grabbed one of Reid's hands to get his attention.

"NO!" Reid exclaimed, jerking away.

Morgan, taken aback, moved back to his spot on the other side of the bed.

"It keeps me grounded" Reid muttered.

"What?" Morgan asked.

"It's the only thing keeping me from bolting from this room."

"No," Morgan began, "there's one other thing that's keeping you here."

"What's that?" Reid asked.

"Me" Morgan said simply. "I'm here, Reid, and just like before, I'm not going anywhere."

Reid nodded, resting his head on his knees. "Thank you."

Both men eventually fell asleep, but that sleep was to be short-lived.

Around 3 a.m., Morgan was woken up by a crash and a muttered curse.

His eyes flew open.

Looking around, he didn't see Reid anywhere.

"Reid?"

Reid popped up to where Morgan could just see his head above the bed.

"This isn't what it looks like" Reid said quickly.

"I had a nightmare and woke up, and I was trying to get out of bed to go to the bathroom and I tried to stand and…"

"…and your legs gave out and you fell" Morgan finished.

"You believe me?" Reid asked.

"Of course I do. But, Reid, I told you, you should've stretched out on the bed."

"I know…" Reid began.

Reid broke off when he heard a noise.

After a moment, he realized what it was.

"Are- are you _laughing _at me?" Reid asked incredulously.

"A-all I can see is your head popping up above the top of the bed like a cartoon character!" Morgan forced out, laughing hysterically.

Reid waited a beat and then joined in, surprising both Morgan and himself.

"It's good to hear your laugh again" Morgan said smiling.

"It's nice to have a reason to" Reid replied.

**I hope you liked it! By the way, I LOVE reviews and PMs *hint hint* **


	24. Chapter 24

Addiction ch.24

**I am SO SORRY I haven't updated this story in such a long time! I'll keep this author note short and sweet so you can get to reading the chapter.**

**I don't own CM and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy! And sorry again!**

Morning dawned a little too bright and a little too early for Morgan and Reid.

After Reid's little "trip" to the floor, neither man could fall back asleep, so they spent the night talking quietly.

So, naturally, neither man was happy when the alarm went off at 6 a.m.

Morgan groaned, hit the alarm, and sat up.

Reid was still asleep, so he told him to get up so they could get breakfast before getting on the jet.

When that didn't work, Morgan threw a pillow at him, hitting him square on the back.

"Reid! Get up!"

Reid moaned and sat up, blinking.

"Did you just- throw a pillow at me?" he asked, incredulously.

When Morgan nodded, Reid picked up the pillow, walked over to where Morgan sat, and calmly wacked him in the head with it.

Morgan chortled and made to hit him with the pillow again, but Reid managed to duck just in time.

"Okay, truce," Reid said, holding up his hands, "if this keeps going, we won't be able to get breakfast _and_ coffee before we leave."

"I thought you didn't hear me before?" Morgan asked.

Reid didn't answer, and as Morgan sat there, he quickly grabbed his go-bag.

By the time Morgan figured out what he was doing, Reid had gotten in the bathroom first.

"Hey!"

CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM

An hour later, both men were dressed and ready to go.

"What time do we need to meet the team in the lobby?" Reid asked.

"8 o'clock. We've got an hour" Morgan responded.

"I don't know about you, but I _need _coffee" Reid said, almost pleading.

"There's a complimentary breakfast in the dining room" Morgan said.

They took the elevator down to the lobby and followed the smell of food and coffee to the dining room.

Upon seeing the coffee pot, Reid almost wept with gratitude.

Both Morgan and Reid made quick work of getting their food and sat down, both immediately reaching for their coffee first.

As they began to eat, Reid was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Something on your mind, Reid?" Morgan asked softly.

Reid looked around and then spoke.

"Just…remembering the last time we got coffee."

Morgan nodded. Looking around, as Reid did, for any sign of their team, he asked a question that had been weighing on his mind.

"Why did you decide to tell me that night?"

"You could have lied, and kept using. Why tell me then?"

"Because I knew that you knew. And I didn't want to lose my job" Reid said frankly.

"I knew that if I didn't get help, that you would go to Hotch and that he would have no choice but to fire me."

"Reid, that's not true. Yes, I did know, or suspected at least, but I wouldn't have gone straight to Hotch" Morgan stated, leaning forward.

Reid raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe not right away. I would have pestered you until you gave in" he said, raising his hands in surrender.

Reid started laughing and Morgan joined in. When they calmed down, Reid shook his head.

"The thing is, I could actually see you doing that."

This, of course, got them started laughing again. They eventually stopped, when other guests started staring.

Once they had both settled down, Reid looked at his watch. "We should probably head over to the lobby."

He hesitated and Morgan looked over at him.

"Morgan, there was another reason why I told you the truth when I did. I didn't want to lie to my best friend anymore."

Morgan grinned and clapped Reid on the shoulder briefly before they headed toward the lobby.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM CMCMMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

The rest of the team was in the lobby when Morgan and Reid arrived, go-bags in hand.

"What took you guys so long?" Prentiss asked, "…and why do you look like death warmed over?"

"Why thank you Prentiss, that's so nice of you to say" Morgan said, deflecting her question.

Prentiss opened her mouth to say something else, but Hotch caught her eye and shook his head.

Not noticing, Reid added, "We're right on time, and we were getting breakfast."

Hotch nodded. "Alright, everybody's here, let's go home" he said, ending the conversation.

They all piled into the two SUVs and headed to the airstrip.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMMCM

Once the team had boarded the jet, Morgan and Reid sat down towards the back of the plane and, almost before the plane even took off, were fast asleep in their seats.

"What is up with those two?" Rossi asked Hotch quietly.

"They probably just didn't get enough sleep last night. We both know that Reid has nightmares sometimes…and this case was a pretty bad one" Hotch said, dismissively.

Rossi looked at him, but didn't say anything else.

Toward the back of the plane, Reid cracked open one eye.

_Why would Hotch respond like that? And he didn't even ask why Morgan and I looked so tired._

_Could he…no, Morgan promised he wouldn't tell._

Closing his eyes once again, he let sleep overtake him.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMMCMCMCMCMCMC MCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

The flight was over an hour later.

Before the team exited the jet, Hotch spoke.

"Okay, I'll expect you guys in at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Go home and get some sleep."

Everyone nodded and exited the jet.

They all headed to their cars and left the airstrip.

"Do you mind if we stop back at the office?" Morgan asked. "I want to see Garcia before we head back to your place."

"That's fine" Reid responded. Thinking of what Hotch said on the plane, Reid started to say something and then stopped.

"What is it Reid?" Morgan asked, glancing over at him.

"Something Hotch said on the plane is bothering me."

"What did he say?" Morgan asked.

"It was when you were asleep. I woke up when I heard Rossi and Hotch talking. Rossi was wondering what was going on with us, and Hotch basically covered for us. He said we probably didn't sleep well because I had a nightmare. Which is true…but we didn't tell him that, and the way he said it…and the fact that he didn't ask us what was going on…" Reid rambled on.

"Reid" Morgan said, cutting him off.

Reid looked over at him.

"It was probably nothing" he said, unconvincingly.

"Morgan, what aren't you telling me?" Reid asked.

Morgan pulled into the parking lot at the office and turned off the car engine.

He took a deep breath and turned to Reid.

The look on Morgan's face answered Reid's question.

"He knows?" Reid whispered.

**Hehe cliffhanger! Sorry! I hope you liked it, and I won't take as long to put up another chapter this time. I Promise! P.S.—I love reviews and PMs, so shoot me one, will ya?:-)  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**OH MY GOSH GUYS! I AM SO SORRY it's been so long! Work has just been crazy! The school I work at has been doing state testing and I have just been so exhausted and busy that I haven't had the time to update any of my stories! Please don't hate me!**

**I don't own CM and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!**

Addiction ch.25

"_He knows?"_

Reid stared at Morgan open-mouthed.

"Reid?" Morgan asked, glancing over at him, "Are you okay?"

Morgan reached over and touched Reid's shoulder.

"Reid, you have to breathe" he said, concerned.

Reid finally took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Morgan asked again.

Reid moved Morgan's hand off his shoulder.

"Reid, answer me, dammit!"

"How. Could. You?" Reid forced out through clenched teeth.

"Reid…" Morgan began.

"No, Morgan! I trusted you and you _betrayed_ me! You _promised_ me!"

Reid grabbed his go bag and satchel and got out of the SUV, slamming the door, and started walking.

"Reid, where are you going?" Morgan asked, getting out of the car, "The office is that way" he said, pointing toward the building.

"I'm not going into the office, I'm walking to the Metro (subway) station," Reid said.

"Reid, you don't have to do this. Let me give you a ride home," Morgan pleaded.

"No" was all Reid said before walking away.

"Reid!" Morgan called after him.

Morgan ran after him and grabbed his arm, spinning him around.

"Let me go Morgan!" Reid yelled in frustration.

"No! Let me explain!" Morgan yelled right back.

Without warning, Reid reared back and shoved Morgan with all his might, making him stumble and almost fall backward.

"No, Morgan, I will not let you explain!" Reid yelled, shoving him again.

"I thought you were my friend, but apparently you aren't. We are done!"

"Reid, please" Morgan began.

Reid held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it, Morgan. I gave you my trust and you broke it. I'll never trust you again" and with that he turned and walked away.

"Reid, wait, please just let me explain!" Morgan called out to him.

Reid didn't answer and kept walking.

Morgan hung his head and walked into the offices of the FBI.

He went to his desk and intended to write up his reports, but instead sat down in his chair and put his head in his hands.

_He had really done it now._

This was where Garcia found him 30 minutes later.

"Morgan?" she asked, walking into the bullpen.

"Hotch called me to let me know you guys had gotten back. How long have you been sitting there…and why didn't you call me when you got back?"

Morgan shrugged.

"Morgan…what's going on?" she asked, concerned.

Morgan sighed and sat up. "Nothing, babygirl, I'm just tired."

He got up and grabbed the files he needed to finish and his go bag.

"I'm gonna go home." He kissed her on the cheek and left, leaving her standing there confused.

Morgan got into his SUV and called Reid, not surprised that it went straight to voicemail.

He took a deep breath.

"Reid, I know you're mad at me. Please, just let me explain."

Hanging up the phone, he drove…but he didn't go home.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

Reid got off at his stop and began the walk home to his apartment.

He only lived a block from the station, and he appreciated the solitude at the moment.

He was still seething mad at Morgan, but underneath it all, was the hurt.

His best friend had betrayed his trust.

And that hurt the most.

Reaching his apartment, he walked in, shut the door and locked it, and slid down the wall.

He just sat there, in shock, for God knows how long.

When his phone rang, and he noticed that it was Morgan calling, he threw his phone across the room.

Scrubbing his face with his hands, Reid stood up, resigned.

Briefly, he wished for the Dilaudid-, but just as quickly, he put the thought away.

Now wasn't the time to go back.

Now was the time to move _forward_.

Remembering that it was Wednesday, Reid looked at the time.

_10 o'clock._

He had about 7 hours before he had to leave for his Narcotics Anonymous meeting.

Nodding his head slightly, he decided to get some sleep.

He took off his shoes, put his service weapon away, and lay down on his bead, pulling the covers out from under him.

Not even bothering to take off his watch, let alone change his clothes, Reid pulled the covers up to his chin and fell asleep almost instantly.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

Morgan pulled up to a two-story brownstone with boarded windows.

He had just started work on it the month before and the place was in bad shape.

The place was locked up tight, so he had left his tools inside.

Thankfully. _He really didn't want to go home right now._

Getting out of his SUV, he headed up to the house, unlocked the front door, and stepped inside.

Walking over to the room where he had stored his tools, Morgan grabbed his sledgehammer.

With his state of mind being what it was, he didn't want to do any delicate work and then screw it up, so he decided on demolishing one of the non-structural walls that needed to be removed.

It was hot, sweaty work and it let Morgan think as he worked.

A few hours later, Morgan was exhausted, but just as troubled as when he started.

He needed to talk to Reid.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

Reid was in the middle of a deep slumber when he heard someone banging on his front door.

Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

He was almost to the door when he heard Morgan's voice.

"Reid, open up! I know you're in there!"

Reid groaned again. Morgan had a key to his place and he could and would use it if Reid didn't open the door.

"Reid!" Morgan yelled again, rapping his knuckles against the door.

Reid reluctantly opened the door.

"What do you want Morgan?" Reid asked, clearly annoyed and still angry.

Morgan shouldered past Reid into the apartment. "I want you to listen."

"Listen to what, Morgan? Listen to you rationalize why you broke my trust? What could you possibly have to say that I would even remotely want to hear?" Reid spat out.

"Shut up, Reid" Morgan said calmly.

"Excuse me?" Reid asked, taken aback.

"I'm going to say my piece and then you can tell me to leave and spew as many insults you want at me, but you _will_ hear what I have to say."

"Fine." Reid shut the door, locked it and turned to face Morgan with his arms crossed.

"I'm waiting" he said impatiently, gesturing for Morgan to begin.

"I didn't come out and tell Hotch that you were a drug addict" Morgan said.

Reid opened his mouth to say something, but Morgan helped up a hand. "No, Reid. You're going to hear me out. No interruptions."

"You remember the Sunday before we came back to work? You had felt fine all day, and then you got sick again?" Morgan asked.

When Reid nodded, Morgan continued. "Well when the doorbell rang, it wasn't the pizza guy at the door. It was Hotch."

Reid looked shocked. "I invited him in and he asked where you were. I took him into the living room and you weren't in there. Then we heard the sound of someone throwing up in the bathroom."

Reid's eyes closed at the realization. Morgan nodded. "Yeah, you guessed it. He came to the bathroom door and he saw and heard what went on. Once I got you back to your room, he came right out and asked me how long you had been addicted."

Reid's eyes flashed open. "He told me his dad was a drunk, and he had recognized the signs of withdrawal in you."

Morgan stopped talking, and gestured for Reid to speak, but all Reid could do was put a hand over his mouth.

When Reid finally spoke, all he could manage to get out was "Oh my God."

**Hope you liked it! Reviews and PMs are nice :-) **


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey all! Here's the next chapter for Addiction. I don't own CM and all mistakes are mine! Enjoy!**

Chapter 26

"_Oh my God."_

"Hotch was there?" Reid asked, barely whispering.

Morgan nodded.

"He saw everything?" Reid asked.

Morgan nodded again and Reid just stood there, open-mouthed.

After what seemed like forever, he spoke again. "Why do I still have a job?" he asked softly.

Morgan sat down on the arm of the couch behind him.

"When Hotch found out, he didn't want to fire you, Reid. He was upset that you had been addicted for so long and that it started with Hankel, but he didn't blame you. I don't even think the thought crossed his mind."

Reid shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm telling the truth, Reid. In fact, as soon as he knew, he immediately started working on a plan. He wanted me to stick close to you and make sure you stay clean. He didn't even want you to know that he knew."

A thought came to Reid. "When we first got back to the office, Hotch asked to see you. He wanted to talk about me, didn't he?" Reid asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, he did. He wanted to make sure you were doing okay, and that we had a plan in place for if or when you were overwhelmed. He even told me that I could go to him if _I _got overwhelmed" Morgan responded.

When Reid looked at him, astonished, Morgan spoke again. "You really don't know do you?" he asked, incredulously.

"Reid, Hotch cares about you. He would do practically anything for you to keep your job. He knows how much it means to you."

Standing again, Morgan walked closer. "Reid, you're about as close of a son to him as you can get."

Reid's eyes glittered. "Really?" he whispered.

"Really" Morgan replied.

Reid looked down. After a tense moment of silence, he spoke up, still looking at the floor.

"I owe you an apology Morgan. I jumped to conclusions and said some pretty hurtful things to you and I didn't let you explain."

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

Morgan laid a hand on Reid's shoulder. "Reid."

When Reid didn't look up, Morgan said his name again. "Reid, look at me."

Reid looked up and Morgan looked him straight in the eye. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"You thought I had betrayed your trust and you had every right to react the way you did."

"Thanks" Reid croaked out, too emotional to say anything else.

"We good?" Morgan asked.

When Reid nodded, Morgan patted him on the shoulder and then pulled him in for a quick hug.

When they pulled out of the hug, Reid wrinkled his nose.

"What have you been _doing _all afternoon, Morgan? You stink and you're covered in dust."

Morgan laughed. "I was working out my frustration at one of my properties by doing some demolition with a sledgehammer."

Reid shook his head. "You really need a shower."

"All right, I can take a hint" Morgan said, smiling. He looked over at Reid, seriously now.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Reid nodded, "I think I will be."

Morgan moved toward the door and stopped, remembering something.

"You have your meeting tonight, don't you? Do you need a ride?" he asked.

"Sure," Reid said smiling, "That'd be great."

Morgan smiled back. "I'll be here to pick you up about 5. Then we could maybe get some dinner after?"

Reid nodded. "Now get out of here before you stink up my apartment," he said, giving Morgan a light shove.

Morgan left, laughing and, true to his word, was back to take Reid to his meeting at 5, smelling a lot better than he had earlier.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM 

The next morning, Reid was up and wide awake a full 30 minutes before his alarm was set to go off. He had lain in bed, worrying about the conversation he needed to have with Hotch.

After his conversation with Morgan the day before, Reid felt the need to come clean with Hotch and to thank him. Knowing that Hotch was doing everything to save his job; Reid thought he owed the man his gratitude, at the very least.

After 15 minutes of worrying, Reid decided to get up and get dressed. There was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep anyways.

Reid was out the door of his apartment by 7:30am, and he had arrived at the FBI by 8am. Reid knew he was early, but he couldn't have stood waiting around his apartment for another minute.

Walking through the doors to the BAU, Reid couldn't help flashing back to the nightmare he had while going through withdrawal, in which Hotch had fired him just before Tobias shot him.

Giving in to a shudder, Reid looked toward Hotch's office and saw that his light was already on.

_Of course he was already in the office. He practically lived there._

Setting his satchel down at his desk and taking a deep breath, Reid headed up to Hotch's office.

He wanted to get the meeting over with, hopefully before the rest of the team arrived.

Reid knocked on the door and entered after hearing Hotch call out, saying "come in".

Hotch looked up, somewhat surprised, when he saw it was Reid.

"Reid, you're in early. What can I do for you?" he asked, gesturing for Reid to sit down.

Reid shut the door and sat down, taking a minute to steady himself.

Looking up at Hotch, he spoke.

"I know you know."

**So, this one's kind of short, but I really wanted to start the next chapter with Hotch and Reid's conversation so I decided to end this chapter here. Please review! **


	27. Chapter 27

**OH MY GOODNESS PEOPLE! I did it again. I made you wait a MONTH for another update! I am so SORRY! I just can't believe it's July already! I fully intended to update before now and failed miserably. I am so sorry and I promise I will try to keep my updates to every week or 2. **

**RECAP Ch.26: Morgan explains how Hotch found out that Reid was addicted, Morgan and Reid make up and Reid goes to confront Hotch at work. **

**Here is the long awaited chapter 27; I don't own CM and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!**

Chapter 27

"_I know you know."_

Hotch looked up warily. "I'm sorry?" he asked, sounding confused.

"I know you know about my…my addict…" was all Reid got out before Hotch interrupted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hotch said firmly.

Reid started to say something, but Hotch held up a hand.

"We are not having this conversation," he said, pausing, "…but if we were having this conversation, hypothetically, if such an addiction existed, but was being dealt with…and continued to be dealt with; the alleged addiction would not be brought up in this office, nor be brought to light in any way."

Hotch took a breath and continued. "…as long as such addiction was dealt with, and the person got treatment and did not relapse into that certain addiction" he stated firmly, making his conditions perfectly clear.

Reid nodded at him, gratefully.

As he went to leave the room he stopped, and with his back to Hotch, said a whispered "thank you" before walking out of his office.

Reid walked down the steps to the bullpen and saw that Morgan was already at his desk.

Morgan caught his eye and raised his eyebrows in their predetermined signal, asking Reid if everything was okay.

Reid smiled slightly and nodded his head.

Morgan smiled and went back to work.

CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM 

Over the next couple of months, Reid fell into a routine that consisted of work, NA meetings, and hanging out with Morgan and the rest of the team (but especially Morgan).

Through his fight to get clean, Reid's friendship with Morgan had grown stronger than ever.

The whole team had noticed the change and thought both men were better for it.

Morgan and Reid frequently hung out, usually just grabbing a meal after work, or catching a movie with Garcia.

…And every Wednesday and Sunday, without fail, Morgan would show up at Reid's apartment at 5pm to give him a ride to his meeting.

Reid brought it up one Sunday, asking Morgan about it.

"Morgan, you know, I _can _take the subway to my meeting, right?" he asked, grinning.

Morgan shrugged, grinning. "I know."

"Then why…I mean I'm sure you have something more important to do than to take me to my meetings twice a week."

Morgan shrugged again. "Not really."

"Morgan…" Reid began, staring him down.

Morgan finally gave in, holding up his hands in surrender.

"All right! The truth is…I kinda…feel responsible for you" he said sheepishly.

Reid furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You're like…a brother to me, Reid, and it's the big brother's job to take care of the younger brother, and…never mind" Morgan muttered, embarrassed.

Reid looked at him. "No, I get it, Morgan."

Looking away for a second, he looked back at Morgan, grinning impishly.

"What?" Morgan asked, looking at him.

"I always wanted a big brother that I could annoy!"

Morgan tried to grab him and missed, making Reid laugh, which led to an impromptu chase around Reid's living room which ended when Morgan grabbed Reid into a headlock.

"Consider this my first act as your older brother" he said, rubbing his knuckles of his right fist over Reid's head, messing up his hair. "It's 'noogie' time!"

Reid tried to squirm out of Morgan's grasp, yelling, but he was laughing to hard.

Morgan finally had to quit when both of them were laughing so hard they started having trouble breathing.

Reid had straightened up and tried to give Morgan a dirty look as he fixed his hair, but it didn't work and it just started Morgan laughing again, which got Reid started.

They both had to settle down before Morgan took Reid to his meeting that night.

Things were going great. Little did they know that it was all downhill from there.

_FOUR MONTHS LATER- Approximately 6 months clean_

It was a Monday morning and things had already gotten off to a bad start. Reid had overslept, getting into work late.

He had dumped his satchel at his desk, groaning at the stack of files balanced precariously on his desk, and had gone to get coffee.

Reid had just taken his first sip when another agent wasn't watching where he was going and _idiotically _bumped into Reid, spilling his coffee down his shirt.

He then had to go get a spare shirt out of his locker.

By the time he was able to actually sit down at his desk to start working on the leaning tower of files, it was already edging on 10:30.

To top it all off, there had been _a lot _of cases over the last few weeks and Reid was getting to the point where he was having nightmares (and...okay, _some _cravings) again, but he hadn't had a chance to tell Morgan about them because Morgan was just as busy as he was.

Reid was going through another consult, working up a profile, when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Reid huffed out a breath in frustration and pulled out his phone, not even bothering to check the caller ID before answering.

"Hello?" he asked, impatiently, not really paying attention as he leafed through the file in front of him.

"Dr. Reid, this is Dr. Norman, your mother's doctor at Bennington Sanitarium in Las Vegas."

Reid sat up at those words and began to pay attention.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

The doctor hesitated before answering. "…I'm afraid your mother has contracted pneumonia."

"What?" Reid asked in confusion. This was not the news he was expecting. "I'm sorry, did you say pneumonia? How did she get pneumonia?"

His voice raised up a notch with each question as he became more nervous.

"Your mother had a small virus prior to the pneumonia and was believed to be better, but, with her immune system compromised, she became sick again when exposed to another patient that was ill."

Reid found his voice and asked the question he was dreading the answer to.

"H-How bad is she?" he asked, his voice breaking.

At the tone of Reid's voice, Morgan knew something was wrong and walked over to his desk.

Meanwhile, Dr. Norman's answer made Reid's face pale so much that Morgan thought he was going to pass out.

"I…I hesitate to tell you this Dr. Reid, but your mother's condition is severe. You should fly out and see her. There's a chance…there is a chance that she may not make it."

**So…how was it? Reviews are great, PMs are nice, Favorites are Sugar, and Follows are Spice! (haha see what I did there?) **


End file.
